A New Life
by Mandalicious
Summary: Oliver, Grace, and Annie settle into their new lives and adopt Molly, as well. These are the tales of the new Warbucks family. First story, please R/R! I do not own any characters, only my ideas. Starts after the 1982 movie.
1. Annie's Request and Molly's Adoption

**A/N: I just had to post this. I've had this idea bouncing in and out of my head for a while and I decided I just need to write it. really hope that you enjoy it and if you do,_ please_ review! Now, onto the story.**

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Chapter 1: Annie's Request

Annie Warbucks sat down on her bed, just shortly before lunch, contemplating something. Over the past few weeks, she hadn't really had much time alone. Everything was just so hectic in her life, what with finalizing her adoption and her father and Miss Farrel's recent engagement. She'd been really busy, but most of the excitement in her life had died down, at least for a little bit, and now she realized that she missed something terribly from her life at the orphanage. True, most of it had been dull and dreary, but it wasn't so much her life she missed, but a person. Molly. She was the closest thing Annie had to family before Mr. Warbucks adopted her and she missed her terribly. In her mind, she was thinking she could ask Daddy Warbucks to adopt her, also. She'd always wanted a little sister, and Molly was already practically a sister to her, why not make it official? And plus, she knew that Molly was really missing her too. After all, Annie was all that Molly had at the orphanage.

"Annie! Lunch!" Miss Farrel called from downstairs, shaking Annie from her thoughts.

Annie hopped off of her bed and went downstairs. Miss Farrel and Daddy Warbucks were already sitting at the table. Annie sat down and Mrs. Pugh served her her lunch.

"Daddy?" Annie said, looking up from her lunch.  
"Yes, sweetie?"

"Can we adopt Molly?"

"Annie, I told you I'd find a home for all of your friends, I'm sure we'll find Molly one,"

"But, Daddy, I want her home to be here. With us,"

"I'll have to think about it, Sweetheart. Adopting is a very big deal. I promise to have an answer for you by the end of the day,"

"Okay, Daddy. Thank you,"

They finished the rest of their lunches and then Annie went off to attend her tennis lesson. Oliver sighed and looked over at Grace.

"I was actually thinking about adopting her before Annie asked me," He said, "I don't need to think about it anymore. We're adopting her,"

"Oh, Oliver, are you sure? Raising two girls is alot of work,"

"Nonsense, my dear. That little girl needs a home and we are going to provide her one,"

"If you say so,"

* * *

Later that night, when Oliver was tucking Annie into bed, Annie asked,

"Have you decided yet about adopting Molly?"

"Yes, I have. I think it is a wonderful idea. I'm sure Molly will be very happy here,"

"Oh, really?! Thank you, Daddy!" Annie sat up and hugged her father.

"Of course, honey. Now get to sleep, we're bringing your new sister home tomorrow,"

"Okay, Daddy. I love you,"

"I love you, too sweetie,"

Oliver kissed Annie's forehead and left the room. He went down to Grace's room to say goodnight to her. He couldn't wait until they were married. He snuck up on her and hugged her.

"Goodnight, my love. This time tomorrow, we'll have two little girls,"He said, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"That sounds nice. I can't wait,"

"Then we'd best be getting to sleep. We have quite a day ahead of us tomorrow,"

"Good idea. I love you, Oliver. Goodnight,"

"Goodnight, dear. I love you, too,"

Oliver left the room and Grace settled into bed with a book. She was excited for the following day.

* * *

Annie was up early the next day. She was far too excited to sleep. She got up at around six and stayed in bed reading until seven, when she heard her father get up. She hopped out of bed the second she heard her father's footsteps on the floor. She went out into the hall.

"Good morning, Daddy,"

"Good morning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?"

"Very well. And you?"

"The same,"

The two of them went downstairs to get breakfast, where they met up with Grace.

"Good morning, Miss Farrel," Annie said.

"Good morning, Annie,"

Mrs. Pugh served the pancakes and the almost- complete family ate. Annie was very excited about Molly's adoption. They were going to be sisters. She knew that Molly would be really excited and surprised to be adopted.

* * *

After breakfast, Annie and Oliver got ready and headed off to the orphanage.

"When we get there, I'll sign the papers, and I'll let you tell the news to Molly,"

"Okay,"

The pulled up at the orphanage about ten minutes later. Annie hopped out of the car and ran right in to find her little sister. She found her and the rest of her old roomates in the sewing room. Molly looked very focused on her dress, so Annie snuck upon her.

"Hey, kiddo,"

Molly looked up. "Annie!" She leapt up to hug her. "What are you doing here?"

"Come with me,"

"Okay,"

Annie led Molly into their old room and found Molly's suitcase. "What are you doing with that?" Molly asked.

"Molly, Daddy Warbucks is adopting you, too. You're coming home with me today."

"What?! Really?"

"Yeah,"

"I'm coming home with you? I'm gonna have a Daddy?"

Annie nodded.

Molly let out a yelp for joy. "I'm getting adopted! I'm gonna have a Daddy! And you're gonna be my sister, Annie!"

"I know, Molly. C'mon, let's get you packed up,"

"Okay!"

Molly went to go get her stuff and Annie helped Molly get all her belongings into her suitcase, though she didn't have many things, only a few pairs of clothing, and a stuffed animal. Then they went back to the sewing room, where Molly said goodbye to everyone. They went outside to the car where Oliver was already inside. Annie climbed inside, and then Molly.

"Hello, Molly," Oliver said to his new daughter.

"Hi, Mr. Warbucks," Molly said shyly, inching closer to Annie, clearly intimidated by Oliver.

"It's okay, Molly. Don't be afraid. He's our Daddy." Annie said, putting her arm around Molly.

"That's right, Molly. I want you to feel safe and happy with us. Don't ever feel like you can't come to us with anything alright, sweetheart? I love you very much and I want you to be happy,"

"You do?" Molly asked in disbelief. Noone had ever said that to her before.

"Of course I do. I love you, sweetie,"

"I love you, too," Molly said happily. She still couldn't believe she was adopted.

"I'm glad," Oliver said.

* * *

The drive from the orphange to the mansion took just a little over an hour. Molly's anticipation was rising to see her new home. Annie told Molly about all of the fun things that they could do at the mansion. Finally, _finally_, the car pulled up in front of the mansion. Molly hopped out of the car and gaped up at the mansion. It was the largest house she'd ever seen and she couldn't believe anybody actually lived here.

"You actually live here?" She asked Annie when Annie stepped out of the car.

"Yeah. You live here now, too. Isn't it amazing?"

Molly nodded.

Oliver stepped out of the car and swooped Molly up into his arms. "What do you think so far?" He asked.

"It's really pretty, Daddy. I like it,"

"That's good," He said, putting Molly down.

Annie led them into the mansion. The inside of the house was even prettier than the outside.

"Woah," Molly said, "This is so pretty!" She said.

"I know. That's what I thought when I first came here," Annie said.

Grace came into the foyer from the kitchen, having heard her daughters talking. "Hello, girls," She said.

"Hi, Miss Farrel," Annie said, "Molly, this is Miss Farrel. She's daddy's fiancee and she'll be our Mom when they get married,"

"Hello," Molly said.

"C'mon, Molly, I wanna show you around!" Annie said.

"Okay! Do I get my own room?"

"Of course you do! Do you wanna see it?"

"Can I?"

"Let's wait on that one for a little while," Grace said, "We'll let you see it tonight,"

"Then let me show you my room!" Annie said, running upstairs with Molly right behind. Annie threw open the door to her room and Molly's jaw dropped. She'd been in the orphanage for so long, she'd forgotten what a real bedroom looked like.

"Wow! Is it okay if I go on the bed?"

"Of course it is!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Molly jumped onto the bed. "It's so soft! Do I get a bed like this?"

"Yeah. So, do you like it here?"

"Do I? It's amazing! I like Daddy! He's really nice,"

"I know. Oh, do you want to see the pool?"

"Sure! But I don't know how to swim," Molly said.

"It's okay. I'll be with you,"

"Okay!"

The girls went off to change into their bathing suits.

* * *

The rest of the day, the girls swam and spent time with their family. Molly was having a great time and was glad that this was how her life was going to be from now on. Oliver and Grace were so happy to see the girls having fun together. They were so happy that they could give both of the girls a loving home. Molly was such a well behaved girl and also very curious, like Annie. Grace had always wanted children and now she had even more of a reason to be looking forward to her wedding, so she could officially be the girls' mother. Later that evening, Grace went up to Annie's room to tell the girls that dinner was ready. Mrs. Pugh had been in the kitchen all day preparing the most exquisite of feasts for the family to enjoy. Once Molly saw the food that was set on the table for them, she said,

"Wow. I haven't had this much food at one time in a long time,"

"Well, sit down, sweetie, and enjoy it," Grace said.

"Okay!" Molly sat at the table next to Annie and Oliver and the family ate their first dinner together.

After dinner, the girls played together a little more, until Grace came outside and said,

"Alright, you two. Annie, you need to go inside and get ready for a bath, and Molly, come with me,"

"Okay," Both girls said. They headed inside. Annie went upstairs and Grace led Molly to her bedroom.

"This is your room, Molly," Grace said, as she opened the door.

The room was the prettiest room Molly had ever seen. It was pink and purple and had toys all over. Molly gasped when she saw her room. It was everything she'd ever dreamt of and maybe even more. But the best part was her bed. It had _at least _two dozen stuffed animals on it and was gigantic.

"Oh,, Miss Farrel, thank you!"

"You're quite welcome, darling." Grace said, going over to Molly's dresser and pulling out a pair of pajamas. "But now, my dear, it's time for bed. Put these on and I'll be in to check on you in a little while."

Molly took the pajamas and retreated to her connected bathroom. Ten minutes later, Grace came back and tucked Molly in.

"Goodnight, sweetheart. Sleep well. If you need anything, Annie's room is just down the hall." Grace kissed the girl's forehead.

"Goodnight, Miss Farrel," Molly settled down into bed and fell into a very deep sleep.

* * *

Later that night, around eleven-thirty, Molly had woken up from a nightmare. She woke up screaming and crying. Annie was woken up by it and rushed into Molly's rrom. She got up onto the bed and started to comfort her little sister. Oliver was up in the room within a matter of moments.

"Shh, sweetie, it's okay," He said, "Do you want to tell me about your dream?"

Molly shook her head and Oliver pulled her into his arms and started to rock her back and forth, in hopes to soothe his daughter.

"Are you sure, sweetie?"

"Well, in my dream I-I was here and then Miss Hannigan came and took me away and you didn't come back for me and then I was trapped in a dungeon,"

"Honey, that's never going to happen, just go back to sleep. I promise you that I will never let anything bad happen to you, okay?"

Molly nodded. "C- can I sleep with you?"

"Sure, honey, just go get your stuff,"

"Okay, Daddy," Molly got her pillow and left the room with Oliver. Annie went to her room and back to sleep. She was glad that they now had a father to take care of them. She'd taken care of Molly for two years in the orphanage, so she was used to comforting her when she had a nightmare. But now that they had a father, she didn't need to anymore. And she was glad.

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think? Good, bad, awful? Please give me any input you have, good and bad is always appreciated, but no flames, please. Just a simple 'I don't like this' will be enough. Okay, hopefully you'll review. :)**


	2. A Warbucks Wedding

**A/N: Here it is, chapter 2! I hope you guys like this and I'd like to thank those who've favorited and reviewed, it means the world to me. I really hope that you guys like it so far. Anyways, onward with the story.**

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Chapter 2: A Wedding

Grace and Oliver's wedding was set to be on August 3rd. By then, Molly had settled in and the girls were just enjoying day to day living with their family.

Oliver had enrolled them in a private school just ten miles from the mansion, so they were preparing for school, too. Annie was learning some neccesary math things so she would be ready for the fifth grade, and Molly was learning to read. Grace's mother was flying in the weekend before the wedding so she could meet her new granddaughters and help out for the wedding.

* * *

That Saturday, the girls were very excited to meet their grandmother.

"When does Grandmom's flight land?" Annie asked as she was helping Grace clean up lunch dishes. Oliver was upstairs with Molly helping her read.

"Around three-thirty, sweetheart. Are you excited to meet her?"

"Yes. Is she nice?"

"Annie, what kind of question is that? Of course she's nice!"

"Sorry, Mom. I was just wondering,"

The girls had just recently started calling Grace 'Mom'.

"It's okay, sweetie. I just want you to understand that that was sort of rude,"

"I understand,"

"Alright. Go get ready to pick Grandmom up from the airport. And tell your sister to get ready, too,"

"Okay." Annie went upstairs to get dressed and get Molly from her fathers' study.

"Molly, Mom said that you should get ready to go pick Grandmom up,"

"Okay!" Molly said, hopping off the couch in Oliver's study. She followed Annie and the two went to their rooms to get ready. Annie wore one of her signature red colored dresses and Molly wore a pink, flowy dress. They went downstairs and to the car, so they could pick up their grandmother in time, Grace was waiting in the car for them.

"Mom, when was the last time you saw Grandmom?" Annie asked on the way to the airport.

"Maybe a year or so ago, we don't see eachother very often. I'm glad she's coming for the wedding,"

"Me too," Annie said.

"What's her name?" Molly asked.

"Emily,"

"That's a pretty name," Molly said approvingly.

The car pulled up in front of the airport and Grace, Annie, and Molly hopped out. They went inside and only had to wait for about fifteen minutes.

"There she is," Grace said, pointing to a woman who looked just like her, except for her facial features showing age and slightly greying hair.

"Gracie!" The woman said, hugging her daughter tightly. "I've missed you so much, honey!"

"I've missed you too, Mom," Grace said. The two women pulled away from eachother and Emily turned to look at her granddaughters.

"And you two must be my granddaughters," She said, looking at the two.

"I'm Annie," Annie said, hugging her gandmother.

"It's very nice to meet you, Annie. That must make you Molly," Emily said, looking at Molly.

Molly nodded, becoming very shy all of a sudden. "It's nice to meet you," She said in a quiet voice.

"It's very nice to meet you, too, Molly," Emily said.

* * *

Once they arrived at the mansion, Annie showed Emily to the guest room.

"Thank you so much, dear," Emily said, laying her bag on the bed and taking her suitcase from Annie.

"Of course, Grandmom," Annie said, "Have you met Daddy before?" She asked.

"I think once, a few years ago when I came to visit your mother. Thank you for helping me put my things away, dear. You must be a very big help around the house, am I right?'

Annie nodded. "I like to help Mom and Daddy. It's fun,"

"Well, that's good. Now, tell me some more about yourself, sweetheart. I want to get to know you,"

"Well, I lived in an orphanage for ten years, and then I was adopted by Daddy and he and Mom got engaged and then they adopted Molly. I like reading and drawing and I just like living here with Mom and Daddy,"

"Well, it sounds like your life is turning out pretty well, Annie. Can you tell me about your sister? She seemed a bit quiet,"

"Oh, she's just shy. She'll warm up to you soon enough. Just stay around her for a little bit and she'll show her outgoing side. She was like that when she first came here, too,"

"Well that's good to know,"

Grace came into the guest room with Oliver. "Oliver, this is my mother, Emily," She said.

"Pleased to meet you," Oliver said.

"It's very nice to meet you, as well," Emily said, "I hope that you and my daughter have a very happy life togehter,"

"I know we will, there's no question about it," Oliver said.

"That's right," Grace said, looking at Oliver lovingly.

* * *

For the rest of the afternoon Annie got to know her grandmother a lot more. They talked about Grace's family and Annie learned she had two aunts that were coming to the wedding. Annie was really excited to meet them. Grace poked her head into Annie's room where Annie was showing her grandmother around.

"It's time for dinner. Annie, would you get your sister?"

"Sure, Mom," Annie said, going to Molly's room.

"Molly, it's time for dinner," Annie said.

"Okay!" Molly got up from her bed and the two went downstairs for dinner.

Grace, Emily, and Oliver were already at the table. Annie and Molly sat down and began to eat. Tonight they were having turkey and mashed potatoes. Grace and Emily were deep in conversation. Oliver noticed that Molly was having some trouble with cutting her turkey and since normally Grace helped Molly with cutting her food, Oliver said,

"Annie, would you help your sister?"

Annie looked over at Molly and nodded at her father, taking Molly's plate and cutting her turkey.

Grace and Emily seemed to be talking about the wedding and the girls and Oliver had their own side conversation. Oliver rather liked talking with his daughters one-on-one. He was happy being their father.

* * *

Once dinner was over, the girls went up to Molly's room to play with her dolls before bed at Molly's insistence. Emily and Grace sat in the kitchen, sipping on tea and talking.

"Your daughters are just darling, Grace. They are so well mannered and Annie is such a big help,"

"Oh, I know. I love them so much and I'm so glad that they've come into my life. I've always wanted children and now I have two beautiful, incredible daughters,"

"Well, I wish that I knew more about Molly. She seems so quiet and she's barely spoken to me since I arrived. Is she always like that?"

"Oh, no. Molly's very energetic, even more so than Annie. Just wait a little while, she'll warm up to you. And she'll have plenty of time to warm up to you, Mom, because I was wondering if you could stay with the girls while we go on our honeymoon,"

"Oh, of course I will, sweetheart. I'd love to stay with them,"

"Alright. Thanks, Mom,"

"Of course, honey. Your sisters are excited to see you,"

"Oh, my, I haven't seen them in so long. It's going to be so good to see them,"

"I know. They've missed you so much and they cannot believe you're gettig married to Oliver,"

"Sometimes I can't either. It just feels so weird to think that way, that I'm getting married to him,"

"I know, honey. It's crazy,"

Grace nodded, "Well, I'm going to go tell the girls to get ready for bed,"

"Alright,"

Grace headed upstairs and into Molly's room. "Girls, it's time for bed. Get ready and I'll be in to tuck you in in a little while,"

"Okay," Annie said, standing up. "C'mon, Molly,"

Molly stood up and yawned, following her sister into the bathroom and then getting ready for bed.

* * *

The wedding was on Sunday and Grace's sisters had arrived the previous day. She had two sisters, one older and one younger, Melissa and Jennifer. Grace was glad that her sisters and mother were there to support her on her wedding day. She only wished that her father was able to be there, but he had died just two years before, due to an unknown illness. In fact, that was the last time she'd seen her sisters. But now she was getting married and she couldn't be any happier.

"I'm so nervous," Grace said on Sunday mornng while Melissa was helping her get ready.

"Why? Oliver loves you and you love him. You'll do fine. And the girls are here,"

"I know, I'm just so nervous. I've worked for him for so long, it's going to be weird to be his wife,"

"Well, just don't think about that. Just think about how you love him and how he loves you. That's all that really matters,"

"Yes, you're right. That is all that really matters,"

Annie and Molly came into Grace's room wearing matching pink dresses. They were the flower gilrs.

"You two look beautiful," Grace said, looking at her daughters.

"You too, Mommy," Molly said.

"Thank you, sweetie,"

"Are you excited?" Annie asked.

"Very excited, sweetie. I can't wait until we're married and I'm your mother officially,"

"Me neither," Annie said happily.

"C'mon, girls, let's let your mother finish getting ready," Jennifer said, ushering them out of the room.

Melissa finished with Grace's hair and put her veil on for her. "I love you, Grace. I hope you and Oliver have many wonderful years together,"

Grace nodded and hugged her sister. She was done getting ready and she made her way out to the backyard where the wedding was being held. Oliver was waiting for her at the altar and Grace felt the flutters in her stomach. The organ began playing the wedding march and the ceremony began.

* * *

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and Grace was so happy that she was married to Oliver. When she was a little girl, she had imagined this day many times, but her fantasies barely compared to this. This was a wedding for a princess. The wedding reception turned out to be a huge hit. between Oliver and Grace, their guest list was around 400 people, most of whom came. The girls were very excited that Grace was finally their mother and stayed around her for the whole ngiht.. The reception ended at around eleven and Grace could tell the girls were exhausted by the way they could barely stand. Oliver and Grace helped them get ready for bed and said goodbye to them, for they were leaving for their honeymoon in Italy early the next day.

"Goodbye, Annie. We'll see you in a week. Be good for Grandmom and help her with Molly, alright?" Oliver said, kissing her forehead.

"Okay, Daddy. I love you. Have a good time in Italy with Mom,"

"I love you, too, sweetie. We will and we'll try to call every night,"

"Okay. Goodbye, Daddy,"

"Goodbye, sweetheart," Oliver left the room just as Grace was coming in to say goodbye. He went down the hall to Molly's room to find his youngest barely awake.

"Goodbye, sweetie. Mommy and I will be back in about a week and we'll see you, then, okay? I love you,"

Molly nodded. "I love you, too, Daddy. I'll see you soon,"

"Alright. Goodnight," Oliver kissed the top of Molly's head and left her room, leaving the door open a slight crack. He met Grace out in the hallway and the two made their way to Oliver's room.

"I've had such a wonderful day today," Oliver said, kissing Grace.

"Me too. I'm so glad that we're finally married. What time do we have to leave by?"

"Six. I can't wait to see Italy and I can't wait for our honeymoon to start,"

"Me neither, but I feel a little guilty leaving the girls,"

"Why? They'll be fine, your mother is taking care of them,"

"I know, but we're leaving so soon after we've adopted them. I know that Annie understands, but I don't think Molly does,"

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Your mother can explain to her and Annie'll be there. I already told Annie that we'd try to call every night. They'll be fine,"

"I suppose so,"

Oliver kissed her again. "I am so happy to be your husband, did you know that?"

Grace nodded.

"Well, I say we'd best be getting to sleep. We have to be up early tomorrow,"

"I'd say you're right,"

The two settled down and fell asleep, both feeling complete for the first time in a long while.

* * *

**A/N: So what did you guys think? I hope it was good, because I thought it might be a little boring, but I don't know. I don't think Chapter 3 will be up quite as fast because of school, but who knows? Please review :) Oh, and I don't own these characters, just the ideas.**


	3. Home

**A/N: Here's Chapter three, out sooner than I expected! Hope you all like it and I don't own the characters you recognize, only the ones you don't and my ideas. **

* * *

Chapter 3: Home

It was seven am on Monday morning and Molly was already awake. Today Oliver and Grace were coming home from Italy and Molly was really excited. They called last night and said that they had bought souveniers for the girls. Annie and Emily were still asleep and Molly didn't want to bother them. She'd really missed her Mommy and Daddy, but now they were coming home. Around eight, Annie woke up and went into Molly's room.

"Annie!" Molly said, hopping out of bed and running to hug her sister.

'Morning, Molly. Mom and Daddy are coming home today,"

"I know! I'm really excited,"

"I see. How long have you been up?"

"I don't know, but a long time. Is Grandmom up?"

"I think so. Let's have some breakfast,"

"Okay!"

The girls went downstairs and into the kitchen to eat breakfast. Emily was sitting at the table, sipping on coffee.

"Good morning, girls. How'd you sleep?"

"Good," Annie said sitting at the table.

"I slept good, too," Molly said.

"Well, that's good. Are you girls excited for your parents to come home?"

The girls nodded. "I've missed them so much," Annie said.

"Well, I know that they missed you girls, too,"

* * *

Oliver and Grace arrived in the city just before noon. Grace had missed her daughters a lot. She had a good time in Italy, yes, but she also missed Annie and Molly terribly. Oliver felt the same way. While it was nice to have some alone time with Grace in Italy, it was going to be good to be back home and get back to a normal routine.

"I've missed them so much, Oliver," Grace said while riding in the car back to the house.

"I know, darling. I have too,"

The car pulled up in front of the mansion. The girls were waiting for their parents on the porch. The second that Oliver and Grace stepped out of the car, Molly ran down the steps to her parents.

"Mommy! Daddy!" She said as Oliver swooped her up.

"There's my little princess," He said, hugging his daughter. "I missed you, sweetie,"

"I missed you, too, Daddy. How was Italy?"

"It was really pretty. I can't wait to take you girls there someday," He put Molly down and hugged Annie.

"Were you two good for Grandmom?" Grace asked as she picked Molly up and hugged her tightly.

Annie nodded. "We missed you alot, though,"

"We did too. C'mon, let's go inside,"

The family went inside and Grace got the girls' souveneirs out of her bag. They got Annie a notebook and Molly a fancy doll.

"What did you girls do while we were gone?" Grace asked.

"Mommy, I read my first chapter book!" Molly said excitedly.

"Really? That's great, sweetheart!" Grace said. She looked at Annie, "And what about you? What did you do while we were gone?"

"Nothing really," Annie replied. "So what did you guys do in Italy?"

"We looked around and spent a lot of time together, and missed you two, of course,"

Annie sat next to Grace on the couch and hugged her mother. "It's good to have you home," She said.

"It's good to be home, sweetie. I love you girls,"

* * *

The rest of the day, the little family spent time together. They had to drop Emily off at the airport later in the afternoon and then went to a movie in the early evening. Oliver felt so greatful that he finally had a beautiful, wonderful family. Molly fell asleep on the way home from the movies and Oliver noticed that she hadn't been as energetic as usual that day, but he didn't worry about her. It was around eight when they got home and after putting Molly to bed, the rest of the Warbucks family sat down together and enjoyed the rest of their evning together, Annie and Oliver playing chess, and Grace watching. Annie was happy to spend a little time with her parents alone. Of course, she loved spending tim with her whole family, but it was really nice sometimes just to have one-on-one time with Oliver and Grace. They let her stay up until ten that night and then she had to go to bed, but she didn't mind. She was tired, anyways. After Annie had gone upstairs, Oliver and Grace went back to their room and relaxed.

"It's good to be home," Oliver commented, going into the bathroom and starting to get ready for bed.

"Oh, I know. It's so good to be back with the girls. I missed them so much,"

"Me too. I hope that they were okay while we were gone,"

"They were, dear. I loved how they got so excited when we got home,"

"Oh, me too. It was priceless,"

Grace nodded as they went back into the bedroom and settled down into bed.

"I love you," Oliver said, kissing Grace before falling asleep.

"I love you, too," Grace said.

* * *

The next morning, Grace woke up around eight thirty, which was odd since Molly usually woke her up around seven or seven thirty. Getting out of bed, she went down to her daughter's room to check on her. She wasn't in her bed, but she did hear sounds coming from her bathroom. Grace went in and found Molly throwing up in her toilet, looking pale and uncomfortable. Grace's heart broke a little for her youngest daughter.

"Sweetheart? Are you alright?" Grace asked, clearly knowing the answer.

Molly looked up and shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mommy," She said.

"What on earth are you sorry for? It's okay, honey, getting sick is a part of life. Come here, sweetie," She said holding her arms out.

Molly came over and hugged her. Grace felt her forehead, which was burning hot. Grace felt horrible for her daughter. She hated seeing her like this and wished that she could help her get better as soon as possible.

"When did you start feeling sick, sweetie?"

"Well, yesterday, I was really tired all day, but then today my tummy hurt really bad and when I went to the bathroom, I started to throw up,"

"Okay, sweetie. Do you want some breakfast?"

Molly nodded.

"Alright. Get back into bed and get some rest and I'll be back in a little while,"

"Okay," Molly agreed and went back into bed. Grace kissed her forehead and went back into her and Oliver's room to get her husband. He was up and in the bedroom getting ready for the day.

"Good morning, my love," Oliver said, embracing Grace.

"Good morning," She said abesntmindedly.

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked, pulling away.

"Molly's sick," Grace said.

"Should I call the doctor?" Oliver asked, concerned. "What kind of sick?"

"I don't think the doctor's neccessary. I went into her room this morning, she was throwing up, and she has a fever,"

"Okay," Oliver said. "Should I do anything?"

"I don't think there's anything you _can _do, Oliver. We need to let her her rest and give her medicine. That's all we can do,"

Oliver nodded. "I know, I just wish I could do more,"

"Me too," Grace replied walking out of the bedroom and bumping into Annie, who was standing outside the room.

"Oh, good morning, Annie,"

"Morning, Mom,"

"How'd you sleep?"

"Good. Have you seen Molly? I cant't find her,"

"She's resting in her room. She's sick,"

"Really? Is she okay?"

"She's fine, sweeetheart. I just want you to stay away, so you don't get sick, too,"

"Okay, Mom,"

Annie and Grace went downstairs for breakfast. Grace requested that Mrs. Pugh make some oatmeal for Molly and while she was making it, Grace ate with her elder daughter. When she was finished, Grace brought Molly's breakfast up to her room. Molly was asleep when she walked in and Grace debated whether to wake her up or not. She finally decided that she should and put the oatmeal on her bedside table, then sat on her bed and shook her slightly.

"Molly, sweetie? Do you want your breakfast now?"

Molly opened her eyes and nodded, sititng up slightly. Grace took the bowl from the bedside table and handed it to Molly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not good," Molly replied.

"What doesn't feel good, sweetie?"

"My tummy. It hurts a lot and my head hurts, too,"

"Okay. Just rest today and we'll see how you feel tomorrow,"

"Will you stay with me, Mommy?"

Grace nodded. "Of course I will, sweetheart,"

* * *

The rest of the day Grace sat with Molly in her room and just wished that her daughter would get better soon. She felt bad for not having spent much time with Annie that day, but she knew she'd understand. As the day progressed, Molly seemed to get worse and Grace did not like that. Grace knew in her heart that this was a part of life and that she couldn't do anything to prevent it, but she hated seeing her daughter so miserable. Oliver had come in a few times and offered to stay with Molly to let Grace do anyhting she needed to, but she didn't accept the offer. She wanted to stay with her daughter as much as she could. Molly finally fell asleep for the night around nine and then Grace left her room to spend some time with Annie and Oliver.

"Mom!" Annie said when she saw Grace come downtstairs. "How's Molly?"

"She's alright, but I don't think she'll be herself for a couple more days,"

Annie nodded.

They went into Oliver's study and spent some time together. Annie went up to bed at around nine thirty. Oliver and Grace tucked her in and said goodnight. Once they were out in the hall and Annie's door was shut, Grace sighed. Oliver looked at Grace.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I hate seeing Molly feel so miserable, Oliver. I feel horrible that I can't take this away from her. I'm her mother and I'm supposed to help her, but I can't help her right now,"

"Honey, this is just a part of life. She'll get better soon and trust me, you are being a wonderful mother by staying with her all day. I'm sure that's making her feel much better already,"

"Well, yes, I feel good about that, but then I feel bad for not spending time with Annie,"

"Grace, Annie understands. She's old enough to know that sometimes you need to pay more attention to Molly, don't worry,"

Grace nodded. "I suppose you're right," She said.

Oliver nodded and hugged his wife.

* * *

Grace was up before anyone else the next morning. Around midinght, she had gone into Molly's room to check up on her and Molly was awake and not feeling good at all. They were up for about an hour before Grace finally got Molly to get back to sleep, but she was so worried about her daughter she could barely sleep for the rest of the night. She wanted to cure her daughter, but she'd never dealt with a sick child before, she didn't know how to make her better and that made her feel guilty. Annie awoke around eight and went into Grace and Oliver's room.

"Good morning, Annie," Grace said, looking up from the book she was reading as Annie crawled onto the bed.

"Good morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Alright. What about you?"

"Okay," Annie got under the covers and the two snuggled for a few minutes until Molly came into the room.

"Mommy?"

Grace looked up. "Yes? How are you feeling?"

"Better, but my tummy still hurts a lot,"

"Well, I'm sure that'll get better soon, too,"

"Can I lay with you, too?"

"Of course you can, sweetheart," Grace said, moving over to make room for her daughter.

Molly joined her mother and sister. Even thought she said she felt better, Grace could still feel the fever off of Molly's body and hoped that she would be all better quite soon.

* * *

Molly was all back to her normal self a few days later and Grace was relieved. She was glad that they could enjoy the rest of summer together and have a good time. The end of summer was right around the corner and while she knew school was good for the girls, she was going to miss having them around evry day. The last weekend of summer they were going up to Chicago to meet up with Jennifer, Grace's little sister. She had two children right around Annie and Molly's age and the girls were excited to meet their cousins. Grace hadn't met her niece or nephew yet, so she was happy to meet them, too. It was going to be nice to have a little family bonding.

* * *

**A/N: So what'd y'all think? I hope you are enjoying this so far and please review. It makes me happy when I see people reviewing. :)**


	4. Family Time

**A/N: Well, here's chapter four. Hope y'all like it and if you do, please review. Thank you, showtunediva, for reviewing every chapter and I hope you enjoy the family dynamics in this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 4: A little family time

For the rest of the week, Grace was busy getting everything ready for the trip to Chicago. She had a lot to do to get ready and Oliver was really busy with work. Annie helped as much as she could but there wasn't much for her to do. Both girls were really excited to meet their cousins and also to go on their first plane ride. Their flight left early on Thursday morning at seven am, so they had to be up around five, so on Wednesday night the girls went up to bed early. Both Grace and Oliver knew that they would be up all night, too excited to sleep, but they tried to get them to sleep. The day before Grace was busy getting everything packed for the trip. The girls would be starting school just a few days after they got home, so they were trying to prepare them for that, too. Grace noticed that when she was helping Molly with her reading lately that she was getting frustrated really easily. She was reading well, but Grace was getting worried with Molly's frustration. She loved her daughter very much and wanted her to excel in school, but she could understand why she was getting so frustrated. Oliver had noticed this, as well as Annie. In fact, the night before they were to leave Grace went up to Molly's room to get her for dinner and she found her sitting on the ground, crying into her knees.

"Sweetheart? What's wrong?"

Molly looked up, holding a book in her hand. "I can't read this!" She said, bewildered.

"Oh, honey, that's what Daddy and I are here for. I f you don't understand, just come to us, alright?"

Molly nodded.

"Okay," Grace said, leaning down and picking Molly up. "C'mon, let's go to dinner,"

The two went downstairs and ate their dinner. Afterwards, the girls sat down in Oliver's study and Annie attemptedd to teach Molly how to play chess. Grace and Oliver watched them lovingly as Annie let Molly win and give her helpful pointers. She was such a good older sister to Molly and Grace was thankful she was so patient with Molly.

"Okay, girls, it's time for bed," Grace said around eight. "You have a long day tomorrow,"

The girls agreed reluctantly and went upstairs. Grace and Oliver said goodnight to their daughters and then went back to the study to play a few games of chess themselves.

* * *

The next morning, Grace and Oliver woke up at four-forty-five. They started getting ready for the day and then went to go wake the girls up. Grace went into Molly's room and panicked when she didn't see her in her bed, but then went down the hall to Annie's room and saw both her daughters snuggled together. Grace smiled as she knelt down beside the bed.

"Girls, it's time to wake up," She said in a whisper.

Annie opened her eyes and sat up, yawning. "I'm still so tired," She said.

"I know you are, sweetie. You can sleep on the plane ride,"

Molly awoke, hearing her mother and sister talking. "I don't wanna wake up, Mommy," She said.

"I know, baby, but we need to get up so we can visit Aunt Jennifer in Chicago. You can sleep on the plane,"

Molly seemed to accept this and hopped out of Annie's bed and began to get dressed. Grace went back into her and Oliver's room to get all the last minute details done. The family was out the door fifteen minutes later and climbed into the car. Molly laid her head on Grace's lap and fell back asleep on the way to the airport and when they arrived, Grace just didn't have the heart to wake her daughter for the second time that morning and carried her into the airport instead. Annie, despite being tired, was excited to go to Chicago at such an early time in the morning. Molly eventually woke up fifteen minutes before they were to board the plane. By that time, Annie had worn herself out and fell asleep on the plane. Molly was kept occupied with a coloring book. Grace didn't want her keeping Annie up and her plan worked. She read a book on the plane and also spent time with her youngest. The plane landed around eleven and Annie was just waking up right around then. Jennifer was waiting for her sister in the airport with her daughter and son, Kathryn and Jacob, 12 and 7. Once Grace stepped off the plane, Jennifer embraced her sister.

"It's good to see you again!" Jennifer said.

"You too,"

The two women pulled away and Jennifer smiled at her nieces. Annie hugged Jennifer.

"It's good to see you, too, Annie," Jennifer said, chuckling. "These are my children, Kathryn and Jacob,"

"Hi," Kathryn said, stepping towards her cousins. "It's nice to meet you,"

Annie nodded. "I'm Annie and this is Molly," She said.

Oliver came toward the family with their luggage and they went to Jennifer's car. Jennifer drived to her house. Annie and Kathryn seemed to be getting along well, as they were chatting amongst themselves in the back seat, along with Molly. Oliver, Grace, Jennifer and Jacob had their own conversation. Grace was glad that she was with her sister. Once they arrived at the house, the girls ran inside up to Kathryn's room. Jennifer poked her head in a few minutes later.

"Annie, this is where you will be staying and Molly, you have a choice. You can stay here with Kathryn and Annie, or you can stay in the guest room with your parents,"

"I wanna stay with Annie!" Molly said.

"Okay. I'll go tell your parents that," Jennifer went downstairs.

Kathryn sat on her bed. "Come sit, guys," She said. Annie sat down on the bed, along with Molly who sat on her lap. They chatted for a little while until Grace called them down for lunch. They went downstairs. Oliver, Grace, Jennifer, and Jacob were already at the table.

"Your house is so pretty, Aunt Jennifer," Annie said, sitting down at the table.

"Thank you, honey. Are you girls liking everything so far?"

Annie and Molly nodded.

"That's good, girls,"

The rest of the afternoon, Annie and Molly spent some time with their cousins. They went to the park right near Jennifer's house and had a blast. Grace was happy that she could spend a little one-on-one time with her sister, for she hardly ever saw her and was glad her daughters were having fun with their cousins. The smiles on their faces were priceless. They layed low for the evening and just hung around the house. Grace and Jennifer let them stay up until around ten, but then sent them up to bed. After Molly had fallen asleep, Kathryn and Annie stayed up into the late hours of the night chatting. Annie was glad that she had an older cousin that she could talk and relate to. She was having a lot of fun with her cousins and as exhaustion took over, she wondered what the next day would bring for her and her family.

* * *

Molly was up at six the next morning. Her sister and cousin were still sleeping. She tried to fall back asleep, but she just couldn't, so she went to the guest room where her parents were staying. SHe crawled up onto the bed and snuggled between her parents and eventually fell back asleep. Grace woke up at eight when she heard noises coming from downstairs and noticed her daughter in the bed next to her. She let her and her husband sleep a little bit longer and went downstairs where Jennifer and Jacob were up. Jennifer was making blueberry pancakes/

"Good morning," Jennifer said.

"Morning," Grace said, sitting down. "Is everyone else still asleep?"

Jennifer nodded. "Kathryn's a late sleeper and I'm sure she kept Annie up, too,"

Grace nodded. "I'll allow it. I'm glad she's enjoying her summer,"

Thye sat in the kitchen talking until Molly and Oliver came downstairs around nine o clock.

"Good morning," Grace said as Molly ran over and sat on her lap.

"Morning," Molly said.

"Is your sister still asleep?"

Molly nodded. "I think they were up late last night. What are we doing today?"

"Well, let's wait until everyone's up, then we can decide,"

Oliver kissed Grace's head. "Good morning, my dear,"

"Good morning,"

They ate breakfast and waited for Kathryn and Annie to wake up. They finally got up around eleven. Jennifer chuckled when she saw the two of them come downstairs looking half asleep.

"How late were the two of you up last night?" Grace asked.

"I don't know. Maybe two or three am," Kathryn said, yawning. Annie nodded.

"What in the world were you doing?" Jennifer asked.

"We were talking," Annie said, "It was fun,"

The two of them sat down at the table and began to eat breakfast.

"Mom?" Kathryn said, looking up.

"Yes, dear?"

"Can we go to the zoo today?"

At those words, Annie and Molly's eyes lit up. "Ooh, can we?!" Annie said.

"I dn't see why not, Jennifer said, smiling at her nieces.

After Annie and Kathryn finished their breakfast, they all went upstairs to get ready.

"I can't wait to go to the zoo!" Annie said, going into Kathryn's room to get her clothes for the day. Molly sat on her bed, looking like she was about to cry. Kathryn looked at her little cousin with concern.

"Molly? What's wrong?" She asked gently, sitting down next to her.

"Mommy's busy, so she can't brush my hair," She said.

"Well, I can brush your hair, Molly,"

"No. You'll brush it too hard. Mommy brushes my hair softly,"

"Can't I at least try? I promise I'll do it softly,"

Molly nodded and handed her brush to Kathryn, who began brushing her hair until it was silky smooth.

"There you go,"

"Thanks, Kathryn!" Molly hugged her cousin and then went to get dressed for the zoo.

* * *

The family had a great time at the zoo, spending amost all day there until it was dinner time. It was Annie and Molly's first time at the zoo and they were having the best time ever. Grace was so glad to see them so happy and it made her so glad that she adopted them. They went out to dinner at a fancy resturant, at Oliver's insistence and then went to a movie. They got back to Jennifer's house around ten, and surprisingly all the children were still awake. They stayed up a while longer then their parents sent them up to bed. Annie, Kathryn, and surprisingly, Molly stayed up late talking again and Grace could hear them giggling at midnight when she and Oliver went to bed. She didn't wan to bother their bonding time and let them stay up, though she knew they'd be up late the next morning. She was being more leaneant with the rules, seeing as they were on vacation.

* * *

The rest of the week they spent at Jennifer's, they went around sightseeing in Chicago. The girls were having a blast with their cousins and vice versa. They were leaving the following Friday, three days before the girls were to begin school, and while Grace and Olive knew they didn't want to go, they had to. Jennifer understood as Kathryn and Jacob were starting school on Monday, as well. On their last night in Chicago, they went shopping. Their flight left at three thirty on Friday, so they had to leave at one.

"It was good to see you and your family, Grace," Jennifer said, hugging her elder sister tightly.

"I know. We need to keep in touch,"

"I know we will. Kathryn will be making sure we do,"

"Annie too," Grace chuckled. "I love you, Jenn,"

"I love you, too, Grace. Don't be a stranger,"

"No chance. Not with my children,"

The two women chucled and pulled away.

Annie, Molly, Kathryn, and Jacob said their goodbyes and the family went off to the airport. Annie and Kathryn exchnaged addresses so they could send eachother letters throught the year.

Oliver, Grace, Molly, and Annie arrived home around seven o' clock and dinner was waiting for them on the dining room table. Grace was happy to be home, but she also missed her sister a lot already. After they ate, the family spent time in Oliver's study, Annie and Oliver in a chess tournament and Grace reading a book to Molly. They sent the girls up to bed around nine thirty as they could tell they were exhausted. After the girls got ready for bed, Oliver and Grace tucked them in and went downstairs.

"They start school in two days, Oliver," Grace said, sighing.

"I know, honey. But they'll be fine,"

Grace nodded. "I'm going to miss them so much, Oliver,"

"I will, too, but this is good for them,"

"I know. I just don't want to leave them,"

Oliver kissed Grace's temple. "Don't worry,"

"I won't,"

While Grace knew Oliver was right, she was still a little apprehensive for her daughters. But only time would tell, Grace decided. She'd had a nice time with her little girls this summer, but now it was time for them to go to school. And they were going to be fine.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Not sure when the next chapter will be out, as school assignments are killing me, but will definetely have it out ASAP. Until next time, thanks for reviewing.**


	5. Overcoming Obstacles

**A/N: Here's Chapter 5! I hope you are enjoying the story thus far and will continue to follow it. I'm thankful to everyone who's read, reviewed, and favorited. THANK YOU! And now onward with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Overcoming Obstacles

Annie awoke the next morning, feeling as though something exciting was about to happen. She then remembered that her, Molly, and Grace were going clothes shopping for school. As if on cue, the moment Annie sat up in bed, Molly came in the room.

"Morning, Molly," Annie said, yawning.

"Good morning," Molly said, coming to join her sister on her bed. "Are we still going shopping today?"

"I think so. C'mon, let's go see if Mom and Daddy are awake yet,"

"Okay," Molly said hopping off the bed. They went into Oliver and Grace's room. They were, indeed, awake and getting ready for the day.

"Good morning, girls," Grace said, kissing each of their heads.

"Good morning," Annie said.

"Morning, Mommy,"

"How'd you two sleep?"

"Good," Annie said.

"Me too," Molly said.

"Well, let's go get some breakfast. We're going shopping today, right?"

Annie and Molly nodded, following their mother out of the bedroom and going downstairs for breakfast. Oliver joined them soon after and they ate breakfast together. Afterwards, Grace sent them up to their rooms to get dressed.

"Oliver, do you think the girls are ready for school?"

Oliver looked up from the newspaper. "Of course I do. What makes you think they're not?"

"Well, it's just that this is their first year in a school. Annie's in fifth grade, Oliver. What if she doesn't know as much as the other children?"

"She'll catch on quickly, Grace. She's very smart,"

"I know she is, but I don't want it to be too much for her,"

"It won't,"

"And there's also Molly. I know that she's only in first grade, but you've seen how she's been getting frustrated with her reading. What if she's not ready?"

"That's why she has a teacher, Grace. And this is all new to her, too, remember that. If she needs more time or help, her teacher will provide it. That's why I'm sending them to this school. The teachers are very understanding and are aware of their situation,"

"I just wan them to get a good education,"

"As do I, my dear. They'll be fine, you'll see," Oliver kissed Grace's forehead.

The girls came downstairs and they and Grace left to go shopping.

* * *

Grace and the girls spent the whole afternoon shopping. When they were done, the girls somehow twisted Grace's arm and convinced her to let them have ice cream before dinner.

"Are you girls excited about school?" Grace asked them while they were eating their ice cream.

"Oh, yes," Annie said. "I'm very excited,"

"Me too," Molly said, ice cream dripping down her chin.

Grace chuckled and wiped it off with a napkin.

"Well, that's good. I'm happy you're excited,"

They finished their ice cream and then went back home. Annie and Molly went outside to play while Grace put away all of their new clothes. She was glad that they were excited for school, but she was still a bit worried. She knew in the back of her mind that they'd be fine, but she still worried. She loved her daughters so much and she wanted school to be moderately easy for them their first year. Oliver found Grace in Annie's room, sitting on her bed.  
"What's on your mind now?"

"Just thinking about the girls,"

"I figured as much. What abhout the girls?"

"School. I want them to be ready, Oliver. They've only had a few months to get ready,"

"They will be ready, Grace. Don't doubt it,"

Grace nodded. "I love you, Oliver,"

He smiled. "I love you, too, Grace,"

They heard the girls come in downstairs and then heard Molly crying. Oliver and Grace looked at eachother and then rushed downstairs where they saw their daughters standing in the foyer with blood trickling down Molly's leg.

"What happened?" Grace asked.

"Molly tripped and fell," Annie said.

Grace knelt in front of her youngest. "C'mon, sweetie, let's get you cleaned up,"

Molly nodded, wrapping her arms around Grace's neck as she picked her up. They went to the bathroom and Grace put a band aid over Moly's cut. "There you go, honey. Now, why don't you girls go back outside and play some more?"

Molly shook her head, tears starting anew. "No. I wanna stay with you and Daddy,"

"Okay, sweetheart. What do you want to do?"

"Can we color?"

Grace nodded. "Of course we can,"

She and Molly went upstairs and Annie and Oliver played some chess.

* * *

On Sunday night, Grace was very busy getting everything ready for the girls' first day. Annie didn't want to admit it in front of her little sister, but she was getting more nervous as school got closer. Annie knew that Molly was nervous enough as it was, if she knew Annie was nervous, she'd be a wreck. Grace was also getting more and more nervous as the days wore on. They had a feast on Sunday night and Annie threw up afterwards, part of it eating too much, and also being nervous.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Grace asked.

"Oh, yeah, I'm just nervous about school tomorrow,"

"Why didn't you come to me, sweetie?"

"Because I don't want Molly to know I'm nervous,"

"Then you say 'Mom, can I talk to you privately?. Sweetie, if you're that nervous, then you should come to me, alright?"

Annie nodded.

"Okay. Now, what are you nervous about?"

Annie sighed. "Everything. The work, friends, teachers,"

"What about them?"

"What if I don't know how to do my work? What if I can't make any friends? What if the teachers aren't nice?"

Grace pulled her daughter close to her. "Sweetheart, you are very smart, don't ever doubt that. If you need help on your work, your teachers will help you, and you're never going to get every assignment right, nobody does. As for your friends and teachers, you will make plenty of friends, just be yourself. Your father and I are sending you and Molly to this school because the teachers are wonderful and they will love you. Alright?"

Annie nodded.

"Okay. I love you, honey,"

"I love you, too, Mom,"

The two went back downstairs and spent their last night of summer together with the rest of their family.

* * *

The next morning found the girls and Grace up early to get ready for school. Grace couldn't even fathom how nervous she was for her little girls. She had no idea why she was so nervous, but she was. She had a hard time showing it, though, for the girls were very excited. She got them dressed, drove to their school and dropped them off at their classes with a few words of encouragement. Then she went back to the mansion and met Oliver in his office.

"How were the girls?" He asked, wrapping his arms around his wife.

"Excited. I hope they are okay today,"

"They will be, don't you worry,"

"I suppose not. Do we have any work today?"

Oliver nodded. "It'll make the day pass quicker,"

"Good idea," Grace said and they got to work.

Before they knew it, three o clock had arrived and it was time to pick the girls up from school. Grace and Oliver both went to pick up the girls. They picked Annie up first.

"How was your first day?" Grace asked, hugging her daughter.

"It was amazing. I love school, Mom. It's so much fun and the teachers are so nice,"

Grace ruffled Annie's hair. "That's good, sweetheart. I'm glad you had a good day,"

Oliver nodded. "Let's go see how your sisters' day was,"

"Okay," Annie said.

They went to Molly's class and when Molly saw her family, she leapt up into Oliver's arms. "Daddy!"

"Hi, sweetie. How was your day?"

"Really good. I like school and my teacher is really fun and nice,"

"That's good, sweetheart. I'm glad your day was nice,"

Oliver put Molly down and the family walked back to the car. They went to get ice cream and went back to the mansion. Annie had a sheet of homework to do, so she did that before going outside to play with Molly. Grace and Oliver went back to work in the office.

"I'm so glad they had a good day," Grace commented. "Annie told me she was nervvous,"

"Oliver nodded. "Me too. Let's hope the rest of their year goes well,"

Grace nodded. "I do, too,"

Oliver kissed his wife. "They are so lucky to have you as a mother,"

"Thank you,"

The rest of their evening was spent doing work and the girls playing. Grace was so glad her daughters were having a good year so far. She only hoped that it got better.

* * *

The rest of the week went much of the same routine. While the girls were at school, Grace and Oliver worked and the Grace went to pick the girls up at three. Annie normally had a few pages of homework, so Molly spent time with her parents while she did that. Then Annie and Molly played and went to bed at eight thirty. While Grace was picking the girls up from school on Thursday, Molly's teacher came up to Grace.

"Mrs. Warbucks, are you and Mr. Warbucks available tomorrow morning?"

"I believe so, why?"

"I need to talk to you and Mr. Warbucks about Molly. It's nothing bad, just something I need to tell you,"

Grace nodded. "Alright. We'll be here tomorrow,"

She went back to her daughters and they went home. Annie had no homework, so she and Molly went upstairs and played with Molly's dolls. Grace went into Oliver's office and relayed what Molly's teacher had said.

"Why does she want to talk to us so early on in the year?" Grace asked, dumbfounded.

Oliver shrugged. "I don't know. But if her teacher said it isn't bad, then it isn't bad."

"I suppose not,"

Annie and Molly came into the study. "Mommy, will you play with us?" Molly asked.

"Sure, baby," With that, Grace left the room with her daughters.

The next morning, Oliver and Grace went into the school to meet with Molly's teacher.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. and Mrs. Warbucks,"

"What's all this about?" Oliver asked gruffly.

"Well, for the past week I've been watching your daughter closely and noticed that she has been having some trouble with her reading and writing. I've talked to some other teachers and I've come to the conclusion that your daughter has Dsylexia,"

"What's that?"Grace asked, genuinely confused.

"It's a disorder that causes her mind to jumble up letters, making it hard for her to read and write,"

"Are there any treatments?" Oliver asked.

"Not as of now, but your daughter is very smart. If you work very hard with her, this shouldn't affect her too much,"

"Well, thank you for coming to us. We appreciate it," Grace said, shaking Molly's teachers hand.

They went back to the mansion and Oliver went right into his study. Grace followed. Oliver sighed.

"What are we going to do?" He said.

Grace remained silent and turned away from Oliver. He got up and noticed that his wife had tears in her eyes.

"What is it?" He asked.

"There's something wrong with our daughter, Oliver,"

"Grace, look at me. We are going to help her through this. We are the strongest people she knows and if she needs help, we will help her. If she is struggling, we will sit down with her and go over every word, syllable by syllable and make sure she understands,"

Grace nodded. "She's my baby, Oliver. I don't want to see her struggle,

"She won't. She has us and she has Annie. We are going to help her through this. What's important is that we are strong for her, alright?"

Grace nodded. "It's not fair to her, Oliver,"

"I know it isn't, sweetheart. But we are going to help her. This is just a part of parenting. Not a part everyone has to do, but we do, and we'll do a damn good job at it. Molly is not going to go through this alone. She has people to support her and that's the important thing, alright?"

Grace nodded again as Oliver pulled her into his arms. "I love you,"

"I love, you, too,"

* * *

When the girls got home from school, Oliver and Grace wanted to speak to Annie about Molly's Dsylexia. Molly didn't need to know right away, but Annie did, so she could help out her sister. They took her into Oliver's study and sat her down on the couch.

"What's wrong?" Annie asked, confused.

"Nothing is wrong, sweetheart. We just need to talk to you about something,"

"What?"

"We spoke to your sister's teacher this morning and she informed us that Molly has Dsylexia, which is a disorder that makes it hard for her to read and write. She needs our help and patience and help with her schoolwork, and also our support. Daddy's hired a tutor, but she still needs our help, alright?'

"Does she know?"

"We're just about to tell her. Your sister is very smart. She;ll be able to overcome this with our help,"

Annie nodded. "Alright, Mom,"

They went downstairs to where Molly was having her after school snack.

"Hi, Mommy," She said when she saw Grace.

"Hi, baby," Grace said, sitting down next to Molly. "When you're done with your snack, come meet Daddy and I in Daddy's office,"

"Why?" Am I in trouble?"

"No, sweetheart. We just need to talk to you about something,"

Grace went back upstairs and Molly came up within a matter of five minutes. Grace pulled her into her lap and sat on the couch.

"Sweetheart, you know how you've been having some trouble with your reading?"

Molly nodded. "I'm sorry, Mommy,"

"There's no need to be sorry, baby. Daddy and I talked to your teacher this morning and she told us that you have Dyslexia which explains why you're having trouble. It's a disorder that makes it hard for you to read and write. Daddy, Annie, and I will help you with this and we also hired a tutor. And if you need hel with schoolwork, just ask your teacher, alright?"

Molly nodded. "Okay, Mommy,"

"Good," Grace kissed her forehead. "Now, go run along and play,"

Molly hopped off of Grace's lap and ran out of the room.

"That was easier than I thought," Grace commented.

"She'll be fine, Grace. She has us,"

"I know, I know. I just don't want this for her,"

"No parent wants this for their child, Grace, but it's just something we have to deal with,"

"Grace noddded. " I love you, Oliver,"

"I love you, too, sweetheart,"

* * *

With theb help of the tutor Oliver and Grace hired and constant help at home, Molly's reading seemed to be getting better, but there was still times when she got totally frustrated. Grace started to come to terms with her Dsylexia, and she knew that she needed to help her baby. Annie caught on immediatley and each night before going to bed, Annie had Molly read to her a little bit. She was such a great help and Grace was glad. Molly didn't seem to be affected by her Dyslexia as much as Grace thought, and that was good. She only hoped that it would get easier for Molly in the years to come.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed Chapter five. If you are enjoying this, please check out Cousins,a collaboration between me and showtunediva. The second chapter should be up tomorrow and I am not sure when the next chapter for this will be out. Let's just say it'll be out soon. :) Please review.**


	6. Annie is Eleven

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, it's basically just a filler chapter. But it's out sooner, so enjoy. Don't forget to check out Cousins, which can be found in the Plays section :) Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Annie turns eleven

September passed by rather quickly for the Warbucks family. Annie's birthday was at the end of October, so Grace was busy planning her party. She wanted to have a costume contest, since it was so close to Halloween, so Grace planned that. Annie was very excited to be having a birthday party and Grace was glad to give her the birthday party that she wanted. Annie was inviting all of her new friends from school, as well as her friends from the orphanage. Oliver and Grace were excited to celebrate Annie's birthday as much as Annie was.

On the morning of her birthday, Annie awoke very early, too excited to sleep. She read in her bed for a little while until she heard her sister get up down the hall. Molly ran into her room and hopped up onto the bed,

"Happy birthday, Annie!" The little girl said excitedly.

"Thanks, Molly. Are you excited for the party later today?"

Molly nodded. "Are you?"

"Of course I am! Let's go get Mom and Daddy," Annie said, sliding off the bed. Molly followed suit. They went into their parents room and Molly hopped up onto the bed. Oliver woke up form the movement of the bed and sat up.

"Good morning, sweetheart," He said to Molly and then looked at his elder daughter. "Happy birthday, Annie,"

"Thanks, Daddy,"

Oliver got out of bed and went downstairs with the girls. Mrs. Pugh was in the kitchen making blueberry pancakes, Annie's favorite. They sat down at the table and began to eat just as Grace came downstairs.

"Good morning." She said, sitting down at the table. "Happy birthday, sweetheart,"

"Thanks, Mom. What time does my party start today?"

"Around four, so we can do anything you want to do for the rest of the day,"

"Okay. Can we go to the zoo?"

"Not today, honey. We won't have enough time to see everything, but we can go tomorrow,"

"Okay. Then can we go swimming?"

Grace nodded. "That, my dear, we can do,"

Annie smiled and ate her breakfast. Afterwards, Annie and Molly got changed into their bathing suits and went down to the pool. Oliver and Grace sat outside the pool, watching their daughters play together. They spent most of the day at the pool until three-thirty when they had to start getting ready for Annie's party. Annie and Molly changed into their costumes. Annie was dressed as a princess and Molly was dressed as a cat. Before the guest started arriving, Grace pulled Annie aside and said,

"Sweetheart, I know that you are going to enjoy your party, but don't forget to include your sister in on things, alright?"

Annie nodded. She went to the front door to greet her coming guests .

Annie's birthday party turned out to be a great success. All of her friends had a great time and so did Annie. She got a lot of presents that she wanted and overall just had a great birthday. The party ended around nine and Molly had already fallen asleep. Annie stayed up awhile longer until Grace finally sent her up to bed. She was glad that her daughter's birthday had gone well and she had enjoyed herself. Grace and Oliver went to bed around eleven.

"I'm glad she had a good day today," Grace commented.

"Me, too," Oliver said, kissing his wife lightly before falling asleep. Their peaceful slumber didn't last for very long, however. Around two AM, Molly had woken up from a nightmare. Grace was awakened by the sounds of her youngest daughter crying and went into her room. Grace sat on the bed and pulled her daughter into her arms.

"Shh, sweetie, did you have a bad dream?"

Molly nodded, hugging her mother closely.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Molly shook her head and just hugged her mother tighter. Grace rubbed her daughter's back until her sobs subsided and then looked at her daughter.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me about your dream?"

Molly nodded. "Will you sleep with me, Mommy?"

"Sure, baby," Grace said, snuggling under the covers with her youngest daughter and falling asleep.

The next day, they went to the zoo, as per Annie's request. It was both of the girls' first time at the zoo and they enjoyed themselves very much. They spent practically the whole day at the zoo, arriving when it opened and leaving when it closed. They went out to dinner afterwardsand then enjoyed a relaxing evening at home. Annie was enjoying her birthday weekend very much and loved spending time with her parents and her little sister.


	7. Thanksgiving and Molly's birthday

**A/N: Here's Chapter 7! Hope you are enjoying everything so far! Not sure when the next chapter will be up, most likely this weekend, but I will try to get it out sooner.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Thanksgiving and Molly's birthday

Oliver, Grace, Annie, and Molly were going to New Jersey for Thanksgiving to visit Grace's mother. They day before they were to leave, snow fell for the first time that winter and the girls were overjoyed to actually be able to play in it for once. They spent the whole afternoon outside, playing and making snowmen and snow angels. Grace looked out the window at her children lovingly and was once again glad that she and Oliver had been able to give them such a loving home. Annie and Molly came inside, their noses red, but smiles spread across their faces.

"You girls have a good time?" Grace asked.

The girls nodded.

"That's good, girls. Now, go get changed, dinner is almost ready,"

The girls hopped up the stairs and Grace went into the kitchen to get their hot chocolates from Mrs. Pugh. The girls came in a little bit later to retrieve their hot chocolates and talk with their mother. Molly sat on Grace's lap.

"Are you excited about going to New Jersey tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Are Aunt Melissa and Aunt Jen coming?" Annie asked.

"I think so, dear,"

"Does Aunt Melissa have any kids?"

"I'm not sure, sweetheart. I suppose we'll find out tomorrow,"

They sat for a little while longer until dinner was ready. They went into the dining room and Oliver joined them shortly. He had been busy finishing up some last minute business things, so he headn't seen his family much that day. He was glad to be able to spend some time with them now.

"What time do we have to leave tomorrow?" Annie asked her father.

"Around eight,"

Annie nodded. "Okay. I'm excited to go to New Jersey,"

"I'm glad, sweetheart,"

The family finished their dinner and then spent time together before the girls had to go bed. Grace helped the girls finish up packing their things and then they spent time in Oliver's study. Molly fell asleep in Grace's arms and Annie played some chess with her father. Grace tucked the girls into their beds around ten thirty and then she and Oliver went to bed.

* * *

Grace and Oliver were up around seven-thirty so they could get ready for their trip. The girls would have to eat their breakfasts in the car, because they had to be in New Jersey by at least ten in the morning. Grace got the girls up at seven forty five and got them dressed. Annie was excited to be going to New Jersey, but Grace could tell Molly still wanted to be asleep. She felt bad for having to wake her daughters so early, but she had to if they wanted to get to New Jersey in time. They finally arrived at Emily's house at nine thirty in the morning.

"Good morning, my lovelies," Emily said, embracing her eldest granddaughter.

"Good morning," Annie said.

Grace hugged her mother next. "It's so good to see you, Mom,"

"You, too, my dear," Emily said, pulling away and picking her youngest granddaughter up.

"Hi, Grandmom," She said sleepily.

"Hi, sweetheart. You look tired,"

Molly nodded, leaning her head against her grandmother's shoulder.

The family walked inside Emily's house. She showed Grace and Oliver to where they were staying as well as the girls.

"When are Aunt Melissa and Aunt Jennifer arriving?" Annie asked.

"Early this afternoon, sweetheart. I missed you girls a lot,"

"We did, too," Annie said, Molly nodding in agreement.

"How's school going?"

"Good," Annie said, "I like it,"

"Well, that's good. What about you, honey?" She asked Molly.

"School's fun,"

Oliver and Grace came downstairs from putting all their things away. They sat at the table with their family.

Jennifer and Melissa arrived at one thirty with their children. Melissa did turn out to have a child, Christopher, who was five years old and a husband, Alex. Annie and Molly were glad to meet all of their cousins and felt excited to have so many. Kathryn and Jacob were excited to see their cousins once again.

"It's good to see you all again," Melissa said, hugging her mother.

Grace smiled. She'd always loved the holiday time because she got to see her family and catch up and winter was her favorite season. Now she had even more of a reason to love the holidays, since she got to spend it with her little girls. The girls and their cousins went upstairs to play and Grace, her sisters, and her mother caught up.

"So, how are the girls adjusting to school?" Emily asked Grace.

"It's fun for them. I think they're enjoying it,"

"That's good,"

Jennifer nodded. "Kathryn and Jacob were so excited to see Annie and Molly again,"

Grace chuckled. "So were the girls. I'm so glad that we're able to get together for the holidays. I wish Daddy were here,"

Melissa hugged her little sister. "So do I, Grace. But he's smiling down on us,"

Emily smiled. "Indeed he is. I'm so glad to have you all for the holidays," Tears started to water in her eyes.

Her daughters hugged their mother and then continued to talk. The children went outside to play in the snow outside Emily's house. Grace was so glad to see all of them getting along.

* * *

The next day was Thanksgiving. Grace, Melissa, Emily, and Jennifer got up early to cook the food for later that evening. Grace loved spending time with her family and cooking food with them. She hadn't had a Thanksgiving like this in many years, but now that she had the girls, she looked forward to doing this every year. Molly's birthday came up just a few days after Thanksgiving, so she was looking forward to celebrating that with her family, too. It landed on Saturday that year, so they would be travelling back to New York on Sunday. Grace felt bad that she couldn't throw a party for her daughter, but she was going to be surrounded by family and that was all that really mattered. The girls were up late on Thanksgiving and Grace had no doubt in her mind that they had been up late talking. They finally woke up around ten thirty.

"Happy Thanksgiving, girls," Grace said to her daughters and niece.

"Happy Thanksgiving," Annie said, kissing her mother on the cheek.

"How late were you girls up last night?" Jennifer asked.

"Two or three, I don't know," Kathryn said.

Grace chuckled. "I don't know how you girls can stay up so late,"

"It's fun, Mom," Annie said.

Molly and Kathryn nodded in agreement.

"Well, anyways, do you girls want to help us?" Emily asked her granddaughters.

"Sure," The girls said in unison. They started helping their mothers and grandmother make the Thanksgiving feast. Grace remembered doing this as a little girl with her mother, sisters, and grandmother and was glad that she could do it now with her daughters. They finished cooking around four thirty and then they enjoyed their Thanksgiving dinner. Grace had a lot to be thankful for this year. A year ago, she'd never have imagined that she was going to be married to Oliver Warbucks and have two amazing daughters. Oliver looked at her during dinner with a knowing smile, like he knew what was on her mind that day. She felt truly blessed with how her life was turning out. While she was tucking in her daughters that night, Annie said to her,

"I love you, Mom. You, Daddy, and Molly are the best things that have ever happened to me,"

Grace kissed her daughter's forehead. "I love you, too, sweetheart,"

* * *

Molly woke up on Saturday feeling very, very excited because it was her seventh birthday. She remebered what Annie's birthday was like and was really excited to be celebrating hers with her Mommy, Daddy, sister, cousins, aunts, and grandmother. She ran into where her parents were staying at seven AM on her birthday and jumped up onto the bed. Grace was awoken by this and rolled over to give her daughter a hug.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Happy birthday,"

"Thanks, Mommy,"

Grace kissed her daughter on the head as Oliver woke up. "Happy birthday, princess," He said.

Molly smiled. "Thanks, Daddy," Oliver got up out of bed with his youngest daughter and they went downstairs. Emily was downstairs already with Melissa, who was helping her make breakfast.

"Good morning, Molly. Happy birthday!" Emily said, kissing her granddaughter on the cheek.

"Thank you, Grandmom,"

Melissa picked her niece up and also wished her a happy birthday. As usual, Annie and Kathryn were up late that morning.

"Happy brithday, Molly," Annie said, hugging her little sister.

"Thanks," Molly said. She felt so loved to have so many people to wish her a happy birthday. At the orphanage, birthdays were no different than regular days, but now she was abloe to do anything she wanted on her birthday. They went to the beach on her birthday and spent the day with her family. She had a blast with everyone and Grace was so glad that she had a good day. What she wanted more than anything in the entire world was for her daughters to be happy and now they had the best birthdays of their lives.

They left New Jersey the next day, and while Annie and Molly were sad to leave their grandmother, aunts, and cousins, they mad plans to get together for Christmas at the mansion. Grace had always loved the holidays and now she had even more of a reason to, since she had her daughters with her. She loved them more than anything in the whole world and was so glad they were loving their new life.

* * *

**A/N: So I hoped you enjoyed it and please review!**


	8. Life With a Disability

**A/N: Here's Chapter 8! Hope that it's good and check out my collaborations with Showtunediva, Cousins and Sisters. I really like this chapter and I hope you will, too!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Life with a disability and Annie's sisterly dilemma

In December, Molly's teacher called Oliver and Grace in to have a conference. They met early one Friday when the girls had off of school. Grace was worried about her daughter's academic performance, since report cards had been sent out just a few weeks ago and her teacher had written a few comments about Molly's Dsylexia. As the school year wore on, it seemed that the Dsylexia was affecting her a lot more. Molly's teacher came into the room and smiled at Oliver and Grace.

"Thanks for meeting with me again, Mr. and Mrs. Warbucks,"

"Is everything alright?" Grace asked, clearly concerned.

"I'm not sure, truthfully. Molly is a very bright child, but she's been having a lot of trouble with her classes and I personally am very worried about her,"

"What is she having trouble with?" Grace asked.

"Moslty her reading and writing. She's reading below grade level and I'm getting very concerned about her. She's doing better with her writing than with her reading, but I'm worried about her in both subjects,"

"Has she said anything about it to you?"

"No, but I've noticed that's she's been getting frustrated a lot more easily,"

"What do you suggest that we do?" Oliver asked, felling awful for his youngest daughter.

"How many days does the tutor come to your house?"

"Every other day," Grace replied.

"Well, I'd suggest that you have him come every day and maybe look in to homeschooling for her. I think that it would be best for her to learn at her own pace, and maybe in a few years she can come back to school,"

Grace was shocked to hear her teacher say this. She never wanted to pull Molly out of school, but if it what was going to help Mollh, it looked like she might have to. Oliver looked just as bewildered as her. They left the school and went right back home. Oliver went into his office, distraught. Grace followed.

"Are you going to take her out of school?" Grace asked as Oliver sat in the chair at his desk.

"No, we shouldn't have to. Molly's smart, we can get her through this,"

"We should make it easy for her, Oliver. Her teacher said that we should do this to benefit her. Why don't you want to?"

"Because I don't want her to have to go through all this special treatment,"

"Oliver, do you remember what you said to me when we found out about her Dsylexia? How this is a part of parenting?"

Oliver nodded. "What does that have to do with this?"

"We have to parent her to the best of our abilities and that means having to do this. Do you think it's easy for me listening to her teacher say that? Well, it's not,"

"I just want the best for her, Grace,"

"So do I, Oliver, and right now this _is _what's best for her. She has two weeks before winter break. If she's not doing any better by that time, then we'll homeschool her,"

Oliver kissed Grace's forehead. "It's just not fair to her,"

"Where does it ever say life is fair? We just have to help her get through this. This is going to play a big part in her life, but it's up to us whether or not it's easy for her to overcome. She needs us to support her,"

Oliver nodded.

"Okay. Let's go see what the girls are up to,"

Oliver took Grace's hand and went downstairs to their daughters. They were in the kitchen with Mrs. Pugh, making chocolate chip cookies.

"Mommy!" Molly said when she saw Grace.

Grace scooped her daughter up and kissed her forehead. "Hi, sweetheart."

"Mommy, we made cookies!"  
"So I see. Can I have one?"

Annie nodded. "Sure, Mom," She handed her mother a cookie.

Grace took a bite. "This is good, girls. Have you two been helping Mrs. Pugh all morning?"

Annie nodded. "Where've you guys been?"

"We had to go to your school to talk to Molly's teacher,"

"Why?" Molly asked curiously.

"Well, sweetheart, your teacher said that she was a little worried about your readinbg and writing, and Daddy and I are a little worried, too."

"I'm sorry, Mama," Molly said, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"It's alright, sweetheart. It's not your fault and Dadday and I aren't mad at you. We want to help you, sweetie, so if you're not getting any better by Christmas break, we're going to start homeschooling you,"

"What?"

"We want to do what's best for you, honey, and we think this is what's best,"

Molly nodded. "Okay, Mommy,"

Grace set Molly down and she ran off to go play. Annie looked at her mother.

"You're homeschooling Molly?"

"We're thinking about it. We think it's the best thing for her to learn at her own pace,"

Annie nodded and followed after her little sister.

* * *

On Monday when the girls got home from school, Annie had a look on her face that said she had a dilemma. Grace sent her younger daughter off for her after school snack and then looked at Annie intently.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Annie sighed. "I think that some people at my school were making fun of Molly and her Dsylexia,"

"Why do you say that, sweetie?"

"Because I heard some kids on the playground talking about some girl who can't read right and that's she's so weird and things like that,"

"Who was saying this, exactly?"

"Some girls that I think are in the grade below me,"

"How do they know about your sister's Dsylexia? That's something private,"

Annie shrugged. "I don't know. But I don't know who else they could be talking about. I just don't want Molly to be picked on,"

Grace kissed her elder daughter's head. "Do you know these girls?"

"Not really, but I don't want Molly hearing what they said. It made me really mad to hear them talking about her like that,"

"Well, sweetheart, if you hear them say that again, tell them to stop. You're a wonderful older sister, sweetheart,"

"Thanks, Mom. I just love Molly so much and she's already gone through enough with her Dsylexia,"

Grace smiled, realizing how mature er daughter was. "She is so lucky to have a sister like you, sweetie,"

Annie embraced her mother. "I love you, Mom,"

"I love you, too, darling,"

Annie went into the kitchen to get her little sister. She was having cookies and milk, but she didn't look very happy.

"What's wrong, Molly?" Annie asked, sitting down next to her little sister.

"I don't want Mommy and Daddy to be mad at me,"

"What would they be mad at you for?"

"What if they really are mad about me not being able to read or write as well as everyone else?"

"Molly, they're not mad at you about that. You can't help it. They just want to help you,"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," Annie hugged her sister and got a glass of milk herself

* * *

The next morning, Annie went to school, remembering what her mother had told her the night before. She was going to confront the girls who were making fun of her baby sister. She knew they probably didn't know that Molly had a disability, but hearing them say that anyways made her mad. She heard the girls talking about Molly again at recess and Annie went up to them.

"Excuse me, but what are you guys talking about?" She said.

"Some girl who's really weird. My brother is in her class and said that she can't read right and that sometimes it makes her cry and it's so funny," One of the girls said.

Annie was shocked to hear that it made Molly cry sometimes, but there was a bigger problem at the moment.

"What class is your brother in?" She asked

"He's in the first grade classroom,"

"So is my sister and I think that's who you are talking about. For your information, she has Dyslexia and it's not her fault she can't read right. Maybe you should tell your brother it's not funny and that he should apologize,"

The girl looked shocked. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that she had Dyslexia,"

Annie nodded. "It's alright. I'm just really protective of her,"

She left the girls and went back to her friends. She was glad that she had confronted the girls who were making fun of her little sister and hoped that nobody would ever make fun of her again.

* * *

Two weeks later, it was time for the girls' winter break. After Annie told the girls who were making fun of Molly to stop, she never heard them say so much as a word about it again. Oliver and Grace decided to go through with the plan to homeschool Molly, as her grades weren't getting that much better. It was the last thing that they wanted to do, but it was going to help their youngest daughter. Once school started for Annie again, Molly was going to start with her homeschooling. But, now, Grace, Oliver, and the girls were getting ready for Christmas preperations. Melissa, Jennifer and their kids, as well as Emily were coming to the mansion to visit for Christmas and the girls were really excited to celebrate this holiday. December wasn't the best month so far, but Grace hoped things were going to look up for her daughters in the new year.

* * *

**A/N: I hope that you are enjoying everything so far! Christmas is the next chapter and I am really going to enjoy writing that chapter. If you liked everything, please review!**


	9. Christmas Time at the Warbucks Home

**A/N: Here's Chapter 9! Wow, I did not think I would get it out this weekend, because my laptop was being really stupid this weekend. Anyways, hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 9: Christmas Time at the Warbucks House

Grace's side of the family was arriving the week of Christmas to spend time with their family fot the holiday. Grace and Oliver were very busy the week before trying to get the house prepared, buy Christmas presents, and interview homeschool teachers for Molly. Both girls were really shocked to hear that Oliver and Grace were going through with the homeschooling plan. Grace knew that they'd be sad and dissapointed, but she also knew, that in a long run, it was really benefit Molly. Because of all the things that were happening the week before Christmas, Grace was stressed. She couldn't wait to be surrounded by her loved ones and be able to forget about everything, even if it was only for a little while. Jennifer, Kathryn and Jacob were arriving on the Monday before Christmas, which landed on a Friday that year. Melissa, Alexander, and Christopher were arriving the day after, and then Emily on Wednesday. The girls were very excited to see their cousins, aunts, uncle, and grandmother again, as well as celebrate their first Christmas with a family. Grace and Oliver were trying their best to buy the greatest presents they could for them.

On the Monday before Christmas, Grace, Annie and Molly went to the airport to pick Jen, Kathryn, and Jacob up. It had been snowing lightly that day and Grace had been worried that their flight was going to be cancelled. They were lucky, though, as their flight was only delayed about twenty minutes. They family took turns gretting eachother when they did land and then went back to the mansion. Annie, Molly, Kathryn, and Jacob went outside to play in the snow and Grace and Jennifer sat in the kitchen, sipping tea. Jennifer noticed that her sister was a little distracted.

"Grace? What's wrong?" Jenn asked her little sister.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing," Grace waved her hand dissmissively.

"Grace, please tell me. You can tell me anything,"

Grace sighed. "It's nothing that concerns you, really. It's just that parenting is so, so stressful,"

Jen nodded. "What, in particular, is stressful?"

"Making sure that the girls are doing well in school and doing almost everything for them. I love them so much, but it just gets hard,"

"Anything else?" Jen asked, sensing that there was something more.

"I don't know if I told you or not, but Molly has Dyslexia and because of it, Oliver and I are homeschooling her. It's just so hard to find a good teacher and give her a good education. I know it's not her fault, but it's just so sterssful,"

"Gracie, I'm really proud of you already for being so strong. This is just a part of parenting, and you can't bypass it. You are a wonerful mother, Grace,"

Grace nodded, walking over to her sister and hugging her. "Thanks, Jen,"

"Of course,"

The sisters went back to talking and catching up. Grace was so happy to have her sister with her and be able to spend Christmas with her. It was the first Christmas in at least five years that they had all been together.

* * *

The next day found the family at the airport once again to pick up Melissa, Alexander, and Christopher. After they got picked up, they all went ice skating. It was another first for the girls, but they got the hang of it fairly quickly. At first, Melissa, Jennifer, and Grace sat and talked while the children skated, but then they got roped into skating themselves. They spent the whole afternoon at the skating rink and then went to go get hot chocolate.

"What time is Grandmom coming in tomorrow?" Annie asked while they were enjoying their drinks.

"I'm not quite sure yet, but early in the afternoon,"

"I can't wait for Christmas," Molly said.

Grace pulled her youngest daughter into her lap and kissed the top of her head. "I know you can't, sweetheart. You girls will have so much fun"

Molly smiled and kissed her mother's cheek. The family finished their drinks and then went back to the mansion. The children went upstairs to play and Grace helped her sister unpack. Grace was so happy to have her sisters with her for the holidays and it made her feel so blessed to have a family. Grace went to her and Oliver's room afterwards. Oliver pulled her into his arms.

"Are you happy to have your family with you?" He asked.

"Very. The girls are so happy to be with their cousins and I am so glad to have my sisters with me. When are we going to meet your family?"

Oliver's smile faded. "I don't know if you ever will. My family and I have been estranged for years, I just think it would hurt too much to bring them back into the picture."

Grace kissed him lightly. "If you really love them, you should try to get to know them again,"

"Maybe one day,"

Annie and Molly burst into their room. "Dinner's ready!" Molly said.

"Thanks, sweetheart," He swopped her up and kissed her forehead.

The family went downstairs and joined Grace's relatives at the table. Seeing Grace so happy with her family made Oliver miss his, but he knew it was too late to try and make amends. He would just try to live with what he had.

* * *

Christmas morning dound the children of the Warbucks and Farrel side of the family up very early. Annie was really excited to celebrate her first Christmas and get presents. She had been too excited to sleep the night before, but then eventually fell asleep around eleven. Molly came into her room ans six thirty and woke her up.

"Annie, Annie! It's Christmas!"

Annie sat up, feeling half asleep. "I know it is, Molly. Merry Christmas."

Molly hopped up onto the bed and hugged her sister. "Merry Christmas! C'mon, I bet we have presents downstairs!"  
"I'm sure we do, Molly, but it's really early still. I think we're probably the only ones awake right now,"

"Oh," Molly said.

Annie smiled at her sister, understanding her excitement. "Come join me," She said, scooting over. Molly joined her sister under the covers and they waited to hear sounds of others being awake. Around eight, Grace popped her head into Annie's room.

"Good morning, girls. Merry Christmas!"

Molly jumped out of Annie's bed and ran to hug her mother. "Merry Christmas, Mommy!"

Grace picked her daughter up. "Merry Christmas, baby. I love you,"

"I love you, too,"

They went downstairs and joined the rest of their family at breakfast. Emily had arrived two days earlier and was enjoying the company of her grandchildren. Mrs. Pugh had made pancakes and eggs for breakfast. Afterwards, the family gathered in the main hallway for presents. There was a gigantic pile of them underneath the tree and the girls' eyes lit up at the sight of this. There were just _so many _presents. Grace and Oliver looked at the girls lovingly as they got excited over the various presents they recieved. It snowed about three feet on Christmas, so after all the presents had been opened, they all went outside to play. Grace loved spending time with her family and felt just so blessed to have the family that she did. She only wished that she had found her daughters sooner. True, she had missed a few milestones in their lives, but she was able to spend the rest of her life with them. She loved them to the ends of the Earth and was so glad that they had come into her life.


	10. Big News

**A/N: Well, here it is! Chapter 10, yay! Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks for reading and PLEASE review. If you liked this, check out my collaborations with showtunediva, Cousins, The Farrell Sisters, and Sisters. The first two can be found on my profile and the last one can be found on hers. :) Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 10:

Big News

In early January, Grace came down with a horrible cold. She was stuck in bed for a whole week and even after she felt well enough to get out of bed, she still felt sick. She knew that it was probably the cold air outside getting to her, but she felt horrible that she couldn't spend time with her daughters. Oliver had been playing perfect husband, helping get the girls ready for school each day and spending time with them after. Grace had been looking forward to spending time with Molly during the day, since she had started homeschooling, but now she hadn't near either of her daughters in fear they would catch what she had. She would go to the doctor the next day, just to make sure nothing bad was going on. Oliver walked into their bedroom around eight thirty and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Grace asked.

"Molly's a little upset right now." He said.

"Why?" Grace sat up and looked at her husband.

"She said she misses you. I was just tucking her into bed and she confessed that she misses you a lot."

Grace's heart broke. "Oh, my poor baby. I should go talk to her." She got out of her bed and made her way down the hall to Molly's room. She was sitting on her bed.

"Hi, Mommy!" She said, hopping onto her lap.

"Hi, baby girl. I'm sorry I haven't been spending much time with you lately, but I've been sick. I don't want to get you sick, too."

Molly nodded. "I just miss you, Mommy."

"I miss you, too, sweetheart. Tell you what, I'll stay here with you until you fall asleep,"

"Can you sleep with me?"

"Sure, baby girl." Grace settled down in bed with her youngest daughter and the two fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Grace went to the doctors' office. She really hoped that there wasn't anything wrong with her. The doctor took her into his office right away and started running some tests on her. She had to wait about fifteen minutes before he came back with the results. He had a wide smile on his face when he walked into the room.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Warbucks. You and Mr. Warbucks are having another baby!"

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Very much so."

"Oh, my. Wow, I can't believe this,"

"I know. This will be a wonderful time for you and your family. Congratulations!"

"Thank you so much, Dr. Williams."

"You're quite welcome, Mrs. Warbucks."

Grace shook the doctor's hand and went home. Oliver was waiting at the door for her.

"Well?" He asked.

Grace smiled. "Oliver, we're having a baby. I'm pregnant,"

Oliver looked up, completely shocked. "What? You are?"

Grace nodded. "Isn't that so wonderful?"

"Yes, very, but this means we're going to have three children,"

"And?"

"It's just going to be so hectic."

"We will make it through together. And we're going to have the girls to help us with the new baby,"

"You're right. I'm so glad to have a family with you, Grace,"

Grace wrapped her arms around Oliver. "Me too."

"I wonder how the girls will react to the news."

"I'm sure they'll be fine about it."

"I hope so," Oliver said, kissing Grace lightly.

* * *

When Annie got home from school, Grace and Oliver called both girls into Oliver's office to tell them the good news. They could've told Molly earlier, but they felt it was right to tell both of them together.

"What's going on?" Annie asked curiously as she sat down on the couch in Oliver's study.

"Girls, you know how your mother has been feeling a little under the weather lately?" Oliver said.

The girls nodded.

"Well, I went to the doctor's office today and they told me that I am perfectly fine, but," Grace trailed off looking at Oliver lovingly.

"But what?" Molly asked.

"Girls, your mother is pregnant. She's going to have a baby,"

Annie's jaw dropped open. "What?! Really?"

Grace nodded. "Yes, really. Are you excited?"

"Of course! I'm going to have a new little brother or sister!"

Grace chuckled at Annie's excitement and then turned to her youngest. "What about you, honey? Are you excited?"

"Yeah," She said quietly, as if something were wrong.

"Sweetheart?" Grace asked quietly. "Are you sure?"

Molly nodded. "It's just that I don't want you and Daddy to forget about me when the baby comes."

Grace got up and pulled her youngest daughter into her lap. "Sweetie pie, that is never, ever, ever going to happen. We will love you and pay as much attention to you as we always have. A new baby isn't ever going to change that."

Molly snuggled into her mother's side. "Really?"

"Of course, honey. I love you,"

"I love you, too, Mommy."

The girls left the office and Grace and Oliver went back to work. Grace was glad that the girls had taken the news so well, but she felt awful about Molly's fears. She knew that this might've come across, as it was so soon after the girls had been adopted. She'd hoped that it wouldn't come across her daughter's mind, at least not until Grace was late in her pregnancy, but now she would do her very best to make sure Molly felt loved by both her and Oliver. She would be heart broken and very guilty if she ever thought either of her daughters felt unloved.

* * *

Ever since Grace had announced her pregnancy to the girls, Molly had become very clingy to Grace. She spent time around her whenever possible, and while Grace liked the company of her daughter, she knew that she needed to fix it before it got out of hand. She realized that Molly was still a small child, but she needed to put her foot down about her clinginess. She called her older sister to see if she had any advice as to what she should do.

"Honestly, Grace, I think you need to sit Molly down and remind her how much you love her, but that she is a big girl and she needs to understand that now you are pregnant, you can't pay as much as attention to her as normal. I know you don't want to hurt her, Grace, but if you don't do anything, she'll think its okay and it'll get worse." Jennifer said.

"I know you're right, but it just doesn't _feel_ right, Jen."

"I know, Gracie, but it's what you have to do."

"Thanks, Jen. I'm going to go talk to her right now. Love you. Bye."

"Love you, too. Bye."

Grace hung up the phone and went off in search of her youngest daughter. She found her in her room, playing with her dolls. Grace sat down on her bed.

"Molly, sweetheart, I need to talk to you."

Molly looked up. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, honey. I just need to talk to you about something."

Molly got up and sat down to her mother on her bed

"Sweetie, you know I love you very, very much, but you've been spending a lot of time with me lately. It's not that I don't like spending time with you, but it's not good for you to be spending so much time with me. I need some time to myself sometimes, alright? I know you are a little apprehensive about the new baby coming, but I will always be here for you, baby, okay?"

Molly nodded and hugged her mother tightly. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, too, baby girl."

"I'm sorry."

"Sweetheart, you don't have to be sorry." Grace pulled her daughter in close to her side and kissed her forehead. "How's school going?"

"Alright. I like my teacher a lot."

"That's good, baby. Is reading getting easier for you?"

"A little. It's just really hard sometimes,"

"I know, baby. Just remember, Daddy, Annie, and I will always be here for you,"

"I know." Molly wrapped herself into her mother's arms and Grace hugged her tightly.

* * *

After Grace had talked to Molly about being so clingy, Molly became less dependent on Grace. They still spent a lot of time together, as Jennifer had told her it was important for Molly to feel loved, especially now that Grace was pregnant. Aside from morning sickness, Grace was actually enjoying being pregnant and was looking forward to welcoming her baby into the world. Annie seemed very excited about her new sibling's arrival and Grace hoped that, in time, Molly would be just as excited as Annie. She'd always looked forward to having children, and now she was going to have three. She was very happy with the way her life was turning out.


	11. Family Makes Everything Better

**A/N: Here's Chapter 11! Hope you enjoy it and please review! :) If you haven't already, check out my collaborations with showtunediva, Cousins, The Farrell Sisters, and Sisters. :) **

* * *

**Chapter 11: Family makes everything better**

As Grace got further into her pregnancy, Molly started to come to terms with everything, but Grace knew that her feelings of jealousy would pop up soon before the baby was born. She only hoped that Molly knew deep down that she was loved and that the baby wasn't going to change anything about that. Annie, being the positive person she was, was trying to help Molly understand that everything was going to be alright. The homeschooling plan seemed to be going well and helped Molly a lot with getting through her Dyslexia. Oliver and Grace had hired a teacher who was trained to teach dyslexic children, and because of it, Molly was showing significant progress. Of course, there were still times when she struggled, but less often than before. Grace liked being able to sit with her daughter at lunch every day and be able to sit in on her lessons. She knew that the personalized learning was what worked for her, but she felt bad that Molly wasn't getting as much social experience as Annie was. She wanted Molly to return back to school in a few years after she knew how to handle her Dsylexia, but she was worried she'd have no friends. Well, she had a few years to come up with a solution to that.

* * *

In early February, Grace had another doctor's appointment to find out when the baby was due. Oliver accompanied her and left Molly with her homeschool teacher. The appointment was at ten in the morning, so they left the mansion around nine thirty. Dr. Williams took them back immediatley and started Grace's ultrasound.

"How's the baby looking?" Oliver asked.

"Very well," Dr. Williams said, "I would say it's due September fifteenth,"

Grace smiled. "I'm so excited,"

"That's good. Would you two like to know the gender?"

"No, thank you. We want to be surprised," Oliver said, shaking the doctor's hand. He and Grace left the docotr's office and went home. Grace was glad that everything was going along well so far and hoped her baby would be happy and healthy.

When they got back to the mansion, hey found Molly on the steps, crying into her knees. Grace grew concerned immediately and sat down next to her youngest daughter.

"Sweetie? What's the matter?"

Molly looked up at her mother, tear stained face. "I hate school,"

Grace took her daughter into her arms. "Are you having trouble with school, sweetie pie?"

Molly nodded. "I'm not good at it,"

"That's why you have a teacher, honey. Where is she?"

"In my school room,"

Grace looked at Oliver, who had been watching the exchange with a concerned look. "Would you go talk to her teacher?"

"Of course," Oliver nodded. When he had left, Grace looked at Molly again.

"What happened, sweetheart? I thought you were doing really well with your reading,"

"I am, I can't write. I hate it. I can't even write my name right!" Molly hid her face into her mother as Grace rubbed her back.

"Shh, sweetie. It's alright, that's why Daddy and I chose to homeschool you, so we can help you with these sorts of things,"

"I'm not smart," Molly said, sniffling a little.

"Sweetheart, _of course you_ are smart. You just have a little trouble with getting the hang of it and honestly, I'm very proud of you for not giving up,"

"Really?"

"Really," Grace smiled at her youngest and the two went inside. They went up to the small classroom that was in the mansion for Molly and met up with Molly's homeschool teacher.

"Sweetie, why don't you go get a snack?" Grace said to Molly.

"Okay, Mommy!" Molly ran out of the room and Grace looked at Molly's teacher. "What happened?"

"I was telling her to write her name on a story that we're going to write together and she accidentally wrote the 'M' in her name as a 'W'. I told her about her mistake and she got really frustrated and ran out of the room. I'm so sorry,"

"It's quite alright."

The teacher nodded. "Do you want me to stay around today?"

"No, you can leave. I think I need to talk to her about this,"

Grace went downstairs and found her daughter in the kitchen. She pulled her into her lap. "Sweetheart, I know school can get frustrating sometimes, but your teacher was just trying to help you. She was only correcting you so you don't make that mistake again,"

Molly nodded. "I'm sorry, Mama,"

"It's okay, baby girl. I just want you to understand that your teacher was just trying to help you,"

Grace took Molly up to her room and then went to Oliver's study where he was looking very stressed.

"Honey? What's wrong?"

"I have to go out of town for a few days this week, honey,"

"Why?"

"Business trip. Will you and the girls be alright?"

"I'm sure we will. I'm going to miss you so much,"

Oliver wrapped Grace into his arms. "You'll get to spend some quality time with the girls,"

Grace nodded. "True. Honey, I'm so worried about Molly. I hate that I can't just make her be able to read and write correctly. It's so hard to see her struggle. I hate it,"

"She's only seven, sweetheart. She'll figure it out soon enough,"

"She's already had such a hard life already. It's just not fair to her. I know there's nothing I can do about it, but I'm her mother. No mother enjoys seeing their child sruggle and know that there isn't anything they could do,"

"No father likes it, either, but it's something we have to deal with, sweetie,"

Grace kissed her husband lightly. "Where do you have to go on your business trip?"

"Washington. The president wants to meet with me,"

"Oh. When are you leaving?"

"Tonight, after the girls are in bed,"

"Well, I'll leave you alone, so you can get your last minute details done,"

Grace went to Molly's room and found her daughter playing with her dolls. She knew that it wasn't her fault she had Dyslexia, but she wanted to be able to blame her diagnosis on somebody.

"Hi, Mommy!" Molly said, looking up. "Do you want to play with me?"

"Sure, baby girl,"

Grace sat next to her daughter and began to play with her.

* * *

Annie got home around three that afternoon and the women of the Warbucks family spent time together while Oliver finished getting ready for his trip. Annie and Molly were both sad that Oliver was leaving, but Grace promised them that they would do something special together while he was away.

"Can I have a friend over this weekend?" Annie asked when she got home from school.

"I'm not sure, sweetie, since your father will be gone. Perhaps," Grace said.

"Can we go swimming, Mommy?" Molly asked.

"Sure, honey. Go get changed and I'll take you two swimming,"

The girls headed upstairs to get changed into their swimsuits and then the three headed down to the pool. Grace couldn't wait until she had three children to watch play with eachother in the pool and she knew the girls would be the best big sisters. Annie was already a great big sister to Molly and she knew Molly would be the same way. At least, she hoped so.

Oliver said goodbye to the girls when they went up to bed at nine.

"Goodbye, sweetheart. Be good for your mother. I love you," He said to Annie, tucking her in.

"Okay, Daddy," Annie said, kissing his cheek. "I love you, too,"

Oliver left her room and went down the hall to Molly's. "I love you, princess. Be good for Mom and I'll see you soon,"

"Bye, Daddy," Molly said. "I love you,"

Oliver kissed her forehead and left the bedroom. He met Grace in the hallway and kissed her.

"I love you, darling. Take good care of you, the girls, and this little one we have right here," He said, touching her stomach lightly.

"I love, you, too, Oliver. I'm going to miss you so much,"

"I'm going to miss you, too, sweetheart. Enjoy your time with the girls,"

Grace nodded and went downstairs with Oliver. He kissed her once more and then left. She went upstairs to bed. She'd a quite long day and fell asleep almost immediately after hitting her pillow. She was going to miss her husband, but maybye she and the girls would get things ready for the arrival of their new sibling


	12. Girl Time

**A/N: Here's Chapter 12! Hope you are enjoying it all so far and if your are, please review! Reviews are very appreciated. If you haven't already, please check out my collaborations with showtunediva, Cousins, The Farrell Sisters, and Overcoming Obstacles. Enjoy!**

* * *

**A New Life**

**Chapter 12: Girl Time**

When Grace woke up the next morning, something felt off. She had grown so used to waking up beside Oliver, so when she rolled over and felt his side of the bed cold, she was a little upset. She had forgotten he was gone and that she was alone with the girls for the weekend. She got up and ready for the day and then went down the hall to her daughters' rooms. She checked in on Molly first. Molly was still asleep, looking precious. She then went to Annie's room. She was up, reading in bed.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Grace said, coming in and sitting on the bed.

"Oh, morning, Mom. How'd you sleep?"

"Alright. You?"

"Good. Is Molly still asleep?"

Grace nodded. "Sweetheart, are you excited about the baby coming?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"It's just that Molly doesn't seem too happy that I'm going to have another baby. I want to get to the bottom of why she's not too excited,"

"She told me that she's really scared that you and Daddy will forget about her when the baby comes,"

"Really?"

Annie nodded. "I'm sure she's excited about the baby, though,"

"Well, I was thinking the three of us could go into town today and do some shopping for the baby. What do you think?"

Annie smiled. "That'd be great, Mom. Can we go to a movie afterwards?"

"I don't see why not. Now, c'mon, let's go get some breakfast,"

The two went downstairs and began to eat their breakfast. Molly came downstairs about ten minutes after they started eating. She walked into the dining room and hopped up onto Grace's lap.

"Good morning, baby girl. How did you sleep?" Grace asked.

"Okay, Mommy. What are we doing today?"

"Well, I was thinking of taking us into town and buying some things for the baby and then Annie said we should go to a movie. Does that sound like fun?"

Molly nodded.

"Good. Well, you should start eating so we can go into the city,"

Molly nodded and hopped off of her mother's lap. Grace knew that Molly was feeling jealous of the new baby, but she had no idea what to do about it. All she wanted was to convince her that she and Annie were the most wonderful things in her life, but she wasn't quite sure how to. She would just have to show Molly that she loved her just as much as before in time. Maybe she would call her sister or mother and see what they suggested, but she needed to get everything ready for the baby's arrival. Hopefully, helping out with getting things ready for the baby would make Molly realize she was still an important part of the Warbucks family.

* * *

After breakfast, the girls got dressed and ready for the day and then they headed out into the city. They headed to Macy's and went directly to the baby section. They found a lot of things for the baby, so much that Grace couldn't fit all of it in the car. She had to put some items on hold. Then after they went shopping for the girls. They found some cute dresses and jackets for the spring. Grace took them out for lunch and then they caught a mid-afternoon movie.

"I had a great afternoon, Mom. Thanks," Annie said on they way back to the mansion.

"Of course, sweetheart. I'm glad you had a nice day," She kissed her on her head.

"Mommy, where is the baby going to stay when it comes?"

"I'm not sure, baby. I guess we'll have to pick out a room for it,"

"What kind of baby do you want?" Annie asked.

"It doesn't matter to me, as long as it's healthy and happy. What about you?"

"I want a girl," Molly said.

"Me too," Annie agreed.

Grace smiled at her daughters. She was glad that Molly was starting to come to terms with everything and hoped that her feelings of jealousy would be put to rest now. She knew that as she got further along in her pregnancy, she'd have to stop paying as much attention to the girls and more attention to keeping herself healthy for the baby's sake and that was when she knew Molly would feel a little neglected. She never, ever wanted either of her daughters to feel this way, and she would do everything in her power to prevent it, but it could just be something that had to happen. They arrived back at the mansion around four and the girls went outside to play. Grace went into her bedroom and phoned her mother to check in.

"Hi, Mom," Grace said when Emily picked up.

"Hi, dear. How is everything going?"

"Alright. I had an ultrasound the other day. The baby is due around September 15,"

"That's wonderful, darling. How are the girls reacting so far?"

"I think they're both excited, but Molly is a little jealous,"

"That's quite normal, Gracie. You and Jennifer were the same way when I was pregnant. Just reassure her you love her. That's really important for her to hear right now. It'll go away soon enough,"

"Thanks, Mom. When are you visiting again?"

"Soon, I hope. I miss all of you so much,"

"We miss you, too, Mom,"

"I love you, my dear,"

"I love you, too, Mom,"

Grace and Emily hung up and Grace went to join her daughters outside. She sat on the terrace and watched them play for a little while until it was time to go in for dinner. Mrs. Pugh had made spaghetti and meatballs. Afterwards, the girls and Grace spent a little time together, helping Molly with her reading. The girls went up to bed around nine thirty and then Grace read a book.

* * *

Oliver was supposed to be home in three days, but he had to stay for the whole week instead. Grace knew the girls were really going to miss Oliver while he was gone, but she couldn't do anything to help them not miss him. She spent as much time with both of them as possible, helping Annie with her homework and playing with Molly, but it didn't do them much good. They still missed Oliver terribly and Molly had taken to sleeping next to her mother each night.

"Sweetie, I think it's time for you to go back to your own bed," Grace said to Molly a couple nights before Oliver got home.

"No, Mommy, I like sleeping with you," Molly said.

"Sweetheart, I like sleeping with you, too, but you need to sleep in your own bed,"

"Why don't you and Daddy have your own beds?" Molly asked.

"Because, sweetie, with Mommies and Daddies it's different. They are allowed to sleep in bed together, but you need your own bed,"

"But, Mommy, I want to sleep with you again,"

"I know you do, baby, maybe another time. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep. How does that sound?"

Molly nodded. "Okay, Mommy,"

"Okay. Go get ready for bed and I'll be up in a little while,"

Molly went up the stairs and Grace sighed. She didn't want to hurt her daughter's feelings, but she knew it was important for Molly to sleep in her own bed. She just hoped that Molly would soon realize that nothing could ever take her place in Grace's heart. She went upstairs to Molly's bedroom fifteen minutes later and tucked her in.

"I love you, sweetie," Grace said, kissing Molly's forehead as she tucked her in. "Sleep well. Goodnight,"

"Goodnight, Mommy. I love you,"

Grace sat down on Molly's bed and watched her youngest daughter drift off to sleep. She left only after she was assured Molly was in a deep sleep and then made her way down to Annie's room to say goodnight.

"Goodnight, darling. I love you. Sleep well," Grace tucked Annie in.

"Goodnight, Mom. I love you, too,"

"I'll see you in the morning, my dear," Grace kissed Annie on the forehead once more and then left her room. She went downstairs to get a cup of tea and started talking with Mrs. Pugh.

"How's everything going with your pregnancy?" Mrs. Pugh asked Grace.

"It's going alright. I'm actually enjoying it right now,"  
"That's good,"

Grace nodded. "I'm just worried about Molly,"

"Why?"

"Well she just seems a bit jealous of the baby and I know that she's only been here for a little while, so I think that maybe she's feeling a little insecure,"

"Grace, that's normal for any child to feel a little jealous of a new sibling,"

"I know, it just makes me hurt to think that she thinks I don't love her,"

"This is what I did with my children when I was pregnant. I told them that we could go out for a special day, just me and them and that they could pick whatever they wanted to do. Maybe you should do that with Annie and Molly,"

"I like that. I think that's what i'm going to do with the girls,"

Mrs. Pugh smiled. "I'm glad I could help you. Now, it's getting late, you should head up to bed,"

Grace smiled and nodded. She headed upstairs, happy that she might have come up with a solution to reminding her daughters how much they meant to her and Oliver.

* * *

Oliver came home two days later and Grace was so happy. She had missed the company of her husband very much and was glad that he was finally home again. He arrived home around noon and the girls ran outside to greet him.

"Daddy!" Molly said, hopping up into Oliver's arms.

"Hi, princess. I missed you," He said, kissing her head.

"I missed you, too,"

He set Molly down and pulled Annie into a hug. "It's good to be home," He said.

"I missed you, Daddy," Annie said.

"I missed you, too, darling. Were you two good for your mother?"

Annie nodded."We helped her shop for the baby,"

"That's good. I missed you three so much,"

The family walked inside as Oliver began to tell them about his trip. Grace was so glad that Oliver was home. She had missed him quite a lot.


	13. Mother-Daughter Bonding Time

**A/N: Here's Chapter 13! Hope you all are enjoying it thus far and will continue to follow. If you haven't already, please check out my collaborations with showtunediva The Farrell Sisters, Cousins, and Overcoming Obstacles. It would really mean a lot to us.**

* * *

Chapter 13: Mother-daughter bonding time

Grace was really glad for Oliver to be home. She liked the time she was able to spend alone with the girls, but as she was getting further into her pregnancy, she was becoming uncomfortable and irritated a lot more easily. She knew she needed Oliver by her side when those moments arose, so he could entertain the girls while she had a few moments to herself. She told them about Mrs Pugh's suggestion of spending a day alone just her and them, and they were delighted with the idea. They were both excited to have their special day with Grace and that made Grace happy.

* * *

Annie and Grace had their special day before Grace and Molly did. They went to lunch at a fancy restaurant and then went shopping. Grace didn't get to spend much time alone with her oldest daughter, so she was glad they were having this special one-on-one day. She had forgotten how much fun her oldest daughter was because she had been spending so much time taking care of herself and doing other things lately. She'd barely spent any time with either of her daughters, except for at night when she spent a little time with them before bed.

"I've had a great time today, Mom. Thanks," Annie said while they were shopping.

"Of course, darling. I love you," Grace kissed Annie on her head.

"I love you, too, Mom,"

Grace and Annie spent the whole day together and Grace enjoyed it so much. She loved spending time with her daughters. It made her really happy to see her daughters be happy.

"Did you have fun today, sweetheart?" Grace asked as they were heading home.

Annie nodded. "So much fun. Thank you so much, Mom,"

"You're very welcome, sweetie. I love you and your sister so much,"

"We love you, too,"

Grace and Annie arrived home around seven. They joined Oliver and Molly in the dining room for dinner and then afterwards, spent time together as a family in Oliver's study. Annie and Molly headed up to bed around ten and then Grace and Oliver spent some quality time together as husband and wife.

* * *

Molly woke up from a nightmare that night around three in the morning. She woke up screaming so loud that it woke Grace up almost immediately. She walked down the hall to Molly's room and gathered her youngest, who was shaking, into her arms.

"Shh, baby girl. Mommy's here now. What happened?"

"I had a bad dream,"

"What happened in it, baby?"

Molly just clutched Grace harder at that question.

"Sweetie, please tell me. I can't help you if you don't."

"It was about the baby,"

"What about the baby?"

"Well, it was about how you and Daddy sent Annie back to the orphanage after the baby was born. I don't want that to happen, Mommy,"

"And it won't. You are going to be apart of this family for a very long time. Don't ever doubt that, baby girl,"

Molly nodded, still sobbing a little. "Will you sleep with me?"

"Of course." Grace settled under the covers with Molly and held her in a warm embrace for the rest of the night. Grace felt horrible that Molly's fears of jealousy were now turning into nightmares. She hoped that the special one-on-one day would help Molly feel more secure in her place in the family because she hated knowing that Molly was feeling insecure. Grace was up the whole night worrying about this and trying to figure out what she could do. She hated feeling helpless like this.

* * *

Grace called her mother in the morning and told her about what happened the night before.

"Oh, Mom, I just don't know what to do. I love her so much, and I know she knows, but she thinks that's going to change when the baby comes," Grace said.

"Honey, I know you want to make everything okay for your daughter, but maybe you can't right now. She'll realize you love her on her own,"

"I suppose so,"

"Keep your head up, darling. She'll realize it on her own, I promise you,"

"Okay. Thanks, Mom. I love you,"

"I love you too, sweetie,"

Grace hung up the phone and went outside to watch her daughters play outside. She loved both of them so much and would do absolutely anything in the entire world for them . Molly came up to Grace and sat on her lap.

"Hi, Mommy,"

"Hi, baby girl. Tomorrow is our special day. What do you want to do?"

Molly stopped to think for a second. "Can we go to the toy store?"

"Sure, baby. Is that all you want to do?"

Molly nodded. "I love you, Mama,"

"I love you, too, baby girl," Grace kissed Molly's forehead.

Annie came up to them. "Mom, can you take us swimming?"

"Of course, sweetheart. Go get changed and I'll met you by the pool in just a second,"

Annie nodded and she and Molly ran inside to get changed. They ended up spending the whole afternoon in the pool and Grace was happy to be with her daughters. She enjoyed spending the day with them, as it helped her keep her mind off of everything.

* * *

The next day it was Grace and Molly's special day. Grace sincerely hoped that this day would make Molly about the arrival of her new sibling, because after this, she wasn't quite sure what else she could do. They left the mansion around noon and Grace took her out to lunch first. They ate at a semi- fancy restaurant and then went into lower Manhattan to go to the big toy store. Grace loved seeing her daughter get so happy at the wide selection of toys. They spent about an hour at the store and came back to the mansion with three new dolls and a new dollhouse. Grace didn't want Molly to become spoiled but she knew hat this was an important part of making her feel like a part of the Warbucks family.

"I had such a good time today, Mommy. Thank you," Molly said when they got back to the mansion. They were in the kitchen with Mrs. Pugh while

she made cookies.

Grace kissed Molly's forehead. "Of course, baby girl. I'm so glad you had a nice time,"

Mrs. Pugh smiled at Grace, knowing that she was feeling happy about the fact that Molly had a good day with her mother.

Molly ran upstairs to play with her new dolls and dollhouse. Grace

watched her run up the stairs, smiling.

"What did I tell you, sweetie? It works like a charm,"

"You were so right, I'm so glad Molly and I had this day. You should've sen her fave at the toy store, it was priceless. I know that

she's going to remember today for a long time,"

Mrs. Pugh returned Grace's smile. "I know she will,"

Molly was feeling much more secure with her place insid

* * *

e her family after her special day with Grace. Grace was so glad that she had a special day with both her daughters, because she knew that the rough months of her pregnancy were just around the corner. She was glad that she had gotten this out of the way, so she wouldn't have to deal with it with an infant. These next couple of months, she would really need the help and support of her family and she was glad she had spent these days with her two special girls now. She hoped that the special bonds she had made in those days would not be soon forgotten.


	14. Baby Talk

**A/N: Here's Chapter 14! Sorry it's so short, it's mostly just a filler chapter, but I hope you enjoy anyways. As always, please review! Also, please check out my collaborations with showtunediva, Cousins, The Farrell Sisters, Sisters, and Overcoming Obstacles. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Baby Talk**

Grace's stomach started to expand and she was enjoying her pregnancy. Molly, Oliver, and Annie spent a lot of time together while Grace rested. She felt horrible that she couldn't be there for her daughters all the time, but she had to rest for the baby. She spent time with Molly during the day when she was being homeschooled and helped Annie on her homework whenever needed. Molly was progressing well with her reading and writing, but she still struggled a little. Grace was glad she and Oliver had made the decision to homeschool her because it was helping her a lot. Annie was helping out a lot with getting everything ready for the baby and spending time with Molly when Grace couldn't. Grace was so glad that she had such wonderful daughters.

* * *

One night in early March, Oliver, Annie and Molly made plans to go to a movie that the girls really wanted to see. Molly came down with a small cold the day before they were supposed to go and she stayed home with Grace instead. They spent the night in Grace and Oliver's bed, practicing Molly's reading. Grace loved spending time with her youngest. While Molly was reading aloud, she felt a little flutter in her stomach. She thought nothing of it and focused on Molly and her reading. She felt it again, but tried to ignore it. She finally realized that it must be the baby kicking and it made her so happy.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Molly asked.

"Oh, nothing, sweetheart. I just felt the baby kicking,"

"Oh,"

"Do you want to feel it, sweetheart?"  
"Sure, Mama,"

Grace placed Molly's hand on her stomach where she felt the baby kicking. Molly smiled when she felt it.

"That;s my little brother or sister," She said in awe.

Grace kissed Molly's head. "Indeed it is, sweetie. Are you excited?"

Molly nodded. "I love you, Mommy,"

"I love you, too, baby girl,"

Molly went back to reading aloud. Grace was slightly distracted. She was so glad that she had felt the baby kicking and was also glad that Molly seemed to be more excited about the arrival of her sibling. Molly suddenly stopped reading and Grace looked down to see she had fallen asleep. Grace settled her under the covers and fell asleep herself, happy.

* * *

Molly woke up the next morning in between her mother and father. She was so glad that she had a family like she did now and hoped that nothing would ever jeaporiadize her happiness. Her parents woke up around eight thirty and the three went downstairs for breakfast and joined Annie downstairs. Oliver and Grace had some work to do, so they went to Oliver's office after breakfast. Annie went into her sister's room because she wanted to talk to her about how she was feeling about the baby.

"Hey, Molly," Annie said, coming into Molly's room and sitting on her bed.

"Hi,"

"Are you excited about the new baby coming or are you still nervous?"

Molly shrugged. "Both. I'm excited, but I'm also afraid Mommy and Daddy will forget about me when it comes,"

"Why, Molly? They're always here for us, they always will be. Just because there's going to be a new baby, that doesn't change anythimg. They love you, Molly,"

Molly nodded. "Mommy said that's not gonna happen, but what if it does?"

"I'll always be here for you, Molly. You know that I love you very, very much and I'll do anything for you,"

"Okay,"

"Why are you so afraid Mom and Daddy will forget about you?"

Molly sighed. "My real parents left me at the orphanage. I don't want Mommy and Daddy to do that,"

Annie pulled her little sister into a hug. "They won't, Molly. Mom and Daddy love us more than anything in the entire world."

"Okay, Annie. Thanks."

"Of course, kiddo. I love you,"

"I love you, too,"

* * *

Annie relayed her conversation with Molly to Oliver and Grace. Grace was glad that she finally knew why Molly was so afraid of the baby's arrival and that now she could comfort her and reassure her. Molly was only seven years old, of course she was feeling a little scared. Grace was going ti do her best to make sure Molly knew she was a permanent part of the Warbucks family.


	15. Author's Note

**Author's Note: **

**Sorry the next chapter is taking so long! I have been really busy lately and will be focusing more on my original stories for the time being. I will eventually come back to this story, but I have no ideas right now, so I am very sorry. I will still work on my collaborations with showtunediva, so please chek those out, but as of now, A New Life is on hiatus. Sorry.**


	16. Orphan Visit

**A/N: Here it is, finally! Chapter 15! YAY! I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to post it, I can only balme writer's block, but here it is! Enjoy! Also please check out my colaboration with showtunediva, New Beginnings! But here's the chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Orphan Visit**

**A New Life Chapter 15**

Things seemed to be going pretty well for the Warbucks family. Oliver was busy with getting as much work done as possible before the baby was born, and Grace was resting a lot. They made sure to talk to Molly about her fears about the new baby and reassure her that they loved her just as much as they did before. Molly seemed to understand and life went on as usual. Molly was getting a lot better with overcoming her dyslexia, so Grace and Oliver decided to get her a present for making such good progress. She had been asking for a cat for a long time, so Grace and Oliver finally caved and took her to get a cat. She fell in love with one right away and that was it. She named her cat Sam.

"Mama, thank you for getting Sam for me," Molly said when Grace was tucking her in for bed. Molly had been playing with her cat all day.

"Of course, baby girl. Daddy and I are very proud of you for making such great progress. Keep it up,"

"Okay, Mommy," Molly kissed Grace's cheek and she settled into bed.

"Goodnight, baby girl," Grace said, leaving the room, and keeping the door opened a slight bit. She joined Oliver in his office.

"Molly seems to really enjoy her cat,"

Grace nodded. "I think it was a great idea to get him for her,"

"I agree. I think it makes her feel better about the baby."

"That's true. I wish she would have told us or Annie sooner about what was bothering her,"

Oliver pulled her into a warm embrace. "But we know now and that's the important thing,"

"I suppose so," Grace kissed Oliver's cheek. "I love you,"

"I love you, too, sweetheart,"

* * *

Grace and Oliver met with Molly's homeschool teacher the next day to talk about her progress. Grace was really proud of Molly, but she knew all along that Molly would overcome her dyslexia. Grace was going to ask her teacher if Molly could go back to school.

"You two must be very happy with Molly's progress," Molly's teacher said.

Grace nodded. "We were wondering if Molly could go back to school sometime this spring,"

"I think that is possible, but it's not advisable. I think it's best for her to finish the school year in homeschool and then start over fresh in the new school year,"

"Alright,"

Grace was glad that Molly was doing better with her reading and writing. She knew that a lot of the progress she was making was due to her, Annie, and Oliver's help. She was so happy about all of it. She really hoped that she would be able to go back to school soon.

Later that night during dinner, the girls posed a question to Oliver and Grace.

"Can our friends from the orphanage come visit this weekend?"

Most of their friends had been found loving families, but a select few were still at the orphanage.

"I don't see why not," Grace said, smiling. "They are more than welcome to come,"

"Yay!" Annie said. "Thank you, Mom!"

"Of course, sweetie. After dinner, why don't you phone the girls' families and see if they are availabe on Saturday?"

"Okay, Mom,"

After dinner, Annie called up all of her friends to see if they were free on Saturday. Most of them were, but July and Tessie had already made plans. Arrangements were made with the rest of the girls, and they were all set up to come over at eleven-thirty AM on Saturday.

* * *

On Saturday, Annie and Molly buzzed with excitement in anticipation of seeing their friends. They hadn't gotten together since Annie's birthday party all the way back in October, and even then, it wasn't just them one on one. Their years in the orphanage together had been long and they sort of grew together as a family. The first to arrive was Kate. Molly had been the closest to her, since they were only about a year apart in age. Next to come were Pepper and Duffy, arriving together. They hadn't been adopted yet, as most people thought that they were too old.

"It's so good to see you guys!" Duffy gushed, hugging both of her friends dearly.

Annie smiled. "It's good to see you guys, too!"

The girls all went outside as Grace and Oliver watched, happily. They all seemed to have a connection that no one else could understand. Grace went back upstairs, as she had been feeling a little bit nauseous and thought it was in her better judgement to lay down.

A little after one, Oliver came out of his study to check on the girls. He passed Molly's bedroom on the way, and he peeked inside when he heard voices from within. He saw Molly all alone, sitting on her floor, playing with her dolls.  
"Sweetheart, why aren't you with your sister and friends?"

"I just want to be alone," The girl replied.

Oliver felt heart-broken at the scene. Molly had never been very sociable, but her friends were here to visit her and he couldn't understand what was keeping her from playing with them. He wanted her to have friends. He went downstairs to check on the rest of the girls, and found them outside playing tag together. Satisfied that they were happy, Oliver went back up to his study to get some more work done.

* * *

That night, as he was tucking the girls in, he asked Annie if she knew anything about why Molly had been being distant from her friends.

Annie nodded. "Pepper was being mean to her, and she got upset and went upstairs,"

"What was she mean to Molly about?"

"She made fun of her dyslexia. We playing a counting game and Molly got some of the numbers mixed up, and Pepper laughed at her,"

"Was Pepper mean to her when you guys were at the orphanage?"

Annie nodded. "She was mean to everyone,"

"Well, Annie, next time talk to her for being so mean, because that's not okay,"

"I know. Right after it happened, I pulled Pepper aside and told her that what she did was really mean, but by the time we got back, Molly had already gone upstairs,"

"Okay. I love you, sweetie. Goodnight,"

"Goodnight,"

Oliver tucked her in and went back to his and Grace's bedroom. Grace was reading in bed.

"What's wrong, darling?" She asked when she saw Oliver's face.

"I think I know why Molly has been really reluctant to stand up for herself against the bullies at school,"

"Why?"

"She was bullied at the orphanage, honey. I think that since all the people at the orphanage were older she got intimidated and never really knew how to stand up for herself,"

"Poor thing," Grace said. "I wish she would've told us sooner,"

"Well, she has Annie to stand up for her. I just hope she finds the courage to stand up for herself soon,"

"Me too," Grace settled under the covers. "Goodnight, honey,"

"Goodnight, darling," He kissed her forehead and left the room to work some more on his study. He couldn't stop thinking about Molly. He couldn't do anything at the moment, but he hoped that he'd find a way to help her soon.


	17. Family Vacation

**Family Vacation**

**A New Life Chapter 16**

* * *

The next few months flew by, and soon it was already July. The past few months had passed by in school and work for the family, and Grace taking more time for herself to prepare for the baby. Grace's stomach was quite large by that time and she looked like she was ready to have the baby at anytime, even though she wasn't due until September. Oliver and Grace couldn't believe it had already been a year since Annie and Molly had come into their lives. Annie's adoption had finalized on June 25th of last year and Molly's adoption hadn't finalized until August 2nd, the day before Oliver and Grace's wedding. Still, Oliver and Grace felt that it was appropriate to go on vacation to celebrate the family being together for a full year. Grace just couldn't believe that

it had been a year. Oliver and Grace presented the idea of a vacation to the girls one night during dinner.

"Can you girls believe that we've been a family for a whole year?" Oliver asked.

Annie's eyes widened. "It has, hasn't it? Wow, it sure doesn't seem like it's been a year,"

Grace smiled at her daughter. "Daddy and I were thinking the exact same thing."

"We were also thinking that we should celebrate our year anniversary,"

"Like a party?" Molly asked.

"Well, we were actually thinking we should do something more intimate, and go on vacation. We haven't really been on one as a family yet, and we thought it would be nice to go before the baby was born."

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Annie said.

"Yeah! Can we go to the beach?" Molly piped in.

"Of course we can. Annie, would you like to go to the beach?" Oliver asked.

Annie nodded. "It's going to be so much fun!"

Grace and Oliver smiled at each other, feeling glad to have such wonderful daughters.

* * *

The family was ready to leave for the beach two days later. Oliver and Grace rented a beach house and got the girls all packed up to leave. They left around ten in the morning and got to the beach by one o clock. The unpacked their suitcases and went down to the beach.

"This is so cool!" Annie exclaimed when she saw the ocean. She ran into the ocean with her sister, completely in awe of the beach. Grace and Oliver set up their beach chairs on the sand and watched the girls play in the ocean until it was time for dinner. The girls got out of the ocean and back to the beach house. They got dressed and went to a seafood restaurant.

"Everything looks so good," Grace commented, looking at the menu. She'd always loved seafood, especially shrimp and crab.

"What do you girls think of the beach so far?" Oliver asked his daughters, who had wide smiles spread across the faces.

"Oh, Daddy, the beach is soo cool!" Annie gushed. "The ocean is so much fun, and looking for seashells is also really cool!"

"Yeah, Daddy," Molly interjected 'I really like the big waves in the ocean."

"I wish I could join you girls in the ocean," Grace said. "Once your brother or sister gets here, I can,"

Oliver smiled at Grace and the family at the rest of their dinner, talking about the baby. Annie said she couldn't wait to teach it all of the cool things she knew.

The family went back to the beach at night to see if there were any crabs, but there were none. By then, it was almost ten-thirty and the girls were obviously exhausted. Molly couldn't even make the walk from the beach to the beach house before she crashed and Oliver had to carry her to the house. Annie fell asleep almost as soon as she was under the covers. Oliver and Graace went back to their room, almost as tired as the girls were.

"I think this is a good vacation," Grace said.

'Me too," Oliver said, kissing the top of Grace's head. "I love you, Grace, and I love our family,"

"I do, too. I'm so glad that Annie came into our lives. Without her, who knows where we'd be? Who knows where they'd be, Oliver?"

"The girls? I have no idea, but I am so glad that we got them out of that orphanage and into a real home,"

"I know that Annie is probably never going to forget her years in the orphanage, but Molly was still really young when we adopted her. Maybe she will forget her years in the orphanage."

'I don't think she'll forget them entirely, but I think that they'll probably become a vague memory,"

"I suppose that's logical,"

Oliver kissed Grace once again and settled under the covers.

* * *

The next day, the girls were awake at seven in the morning and went to get Oliver and Grace at eight.

'Can we go back to the beach?!" Molly said, hopping up onto the bed in between her parents.

Oliver rolled over. "Give us a few minutes to wake up, sweetheart. We'll go to the beach soon, I promise,"

"Okay," Molly hopped off the bed and went downstairs with Annie.

Oliver and Grace got out of bed and went downstairs to have breakfast with the girls. Afterwards, the family changed and went to the beach. Most of the morning was spent in the ocean for Annie and Molly. Annie went looking for seashells around noon and went back to show her findings to her parents. Molly was still swimming in the ocean under the supervision of Grace. Grace took her eyes off of Molly to look at the seashells Annie had found and when she turned back to her youngest daughter, she couldn't see her.

"What happened to Molly?" Grace asked.

"Mom, is she drowning?!" Annie asked, knowing that her younger sister wasn't the best swimmer in the world.

"Oh, goodness, I don't know,"

Annie was already in the water after her younger sister and dragged her out onto the beach.

Grace hugged Molly so tightly when she got out. "Are you okay, baby?" She asked, checking Molly over.

Molly nodded and started crying.

"It's okay, baby girl. Shh, don't cry,"

"I don't wanna go back into the ocean,"

"You don't have to, baby. You can stay here with Daddy and I,"

Molly nodded.

"I'm sorry, baby girl," Grace said to her daughter, drying her off in a beach towel. Annie went back into the water while Grace, Oliver, and Molly just sat on the beach. Grace tried to build a sandcastle with Molly, but she couldn't find a spot to sit that was comfortable. She felt so guilty about what had happened.

* * *

The rest of the day was less eventful than that incident had been, but regardless, the family still had a good time. After the girls were in bed that night, Grace expressed to Oliver how guilty she was feeling about Molly.

"She could've died, Oliver. I should've never stopped watching her,"

"She's fine, though, sweetie. Maybe a little shaken up, but fine otherwise."

"But I should've asked her to come out of the water or something. I feel like I failed her, Oliver. I feel like I'm not fit to be a mother,"

"Nonsense, Grace. You are an amazing mother. It was just a little fluke, honey. Molly's fine and you should let it go."

"Okay. I love you, Oliver,"

"I love you, too. So do the girls."

Oliver and Grace settled down to sleep.

* * *

Sometime later, Grace awoke, feeling a sharp pang in her stomach. She became very aware of her surroundings, and realized that she was lying in a puddle. Before she could move, another sharp pang came. Grace suddenly realized what was going on.

"Oliver, Oliver, wake up," Grace said in a panic.

Oliver woke up somewhat disoriented. "What is it, Grace?'

"Oliver, my water broke. The baby's coming,"

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I hope you're excited for Grace to have the baby!Please review, and if you do, leave baby name suggestions. :) ~Mandalicious**


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